Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (2008)

  • 75% of critics liked it
    (20 reviews)

  • 78% of users liked it
    (535 ratings)

An uneducated gas station attendant with a taste for the finer things in life turns to crime as a means of making ends meet, only to find himself on a dangerous collision course with the biggest drug dealer in town. All Lucky Kunene wanted out of life was a house by the water, a beautiful wife, and… More

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R, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By
Ralph Ziman
Written By
Ralph Ziman
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Jun 11, 2010 Wide
On DVD
Sep 28, 2010
Anchor Bay Films

Critic Reviews

  • Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

    rags-to-riches tale cut from the same cloth as City of God, Goodfellas and Scarface.

  • Mike Hale, New York Times

    It's easy to overlook the formulas and just enjoy the ride.

  • V.A. Musetto, New York Post

    The opening credits of Gangster's Paradise note that it was "inspired by real events." It would be more accurate to say that the film was inspired by Brian De Palma's Scarface and similar fare.

  • Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

    Startlingly original, if occasionally overambitious. This is Tsotsi without the feel-good glow, a tale of entrepreneurship's perils and boundless pleasures.

  • Nick Schager, Village Voice

    Though South Africa's racial strife is frequently invoked, sociopolitical inquiry takes a backseat to creaky gangster-cinema tropes.

Read all 19 critic reviews

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