Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

I saw this film previewed on CNN and went to see it at the Zurich Film Festival with some American friends of mine. Being South African one could see that this film was simply a labour of love for the beloved country. Ralph Ziman, the self effacing director was on hand to talk about the film after the movie and I asked him how he got all the original footage of the Mandela inauguration etc, which he has cleverly weaved into the movie. His answer was amazing: He shot it himself over the years, which means that Ralph has single handedly created parts of a record of SA history no one else has. At the end of the day the film is broad enough and topical enough to override Tsotsi on many levels, dealing with the integral white black relationship in South Africa (the main black criminal building hijacker in the movie has an affair with a well to do white Jewish girl from the burbs) and how these parts of society interrelate. Last but not least, as it is not stuck in the modality of "Tsotsi only" it manages to look refreshingly at a broad swathe of the themes and reality affecting SA society today. Though Ralph denies it :) (correct me if I am wrong Ralph) Tsotsi has inevitably influenced the making of Jerusalema but on many levels is radically different. In a sense I missed the whimsical sadness of Tsotsi and Jerusalema pans through the skyline and scenes of our Johannesburg far too fast to really do it justice. More of that please. However, its a fast moving film that was enjoyed not just by me but by some Americans I dragged along to it. They really liked it proving that it scope and graphic talks to a worldwide audience. Bravo Ralph. Your country has cause to be very proud of you. You are a true son of South Africa.

I don't think I can adequately put into words how enjoyable this movie was but I'll try because it's really worth your time and I want you to give it a try. This movie was a pleasant surprise. Within a few minutes of watching I realized I'd happened upon a gem. This movie is about Lucky Kunene, a smart young man who is so fun to watch as he figures out how to be a success in spite of being born in a dangerously stupid environment.

I did not expect to enjoy watching a story that includes South African apartheid, but fortunately this movie entertains us with the characters story and doesn't weigh us down with the tragedy of racism and poverty.The main character Lucky is poor and smart and that's always an interesting mix. He is portrayed by actors who are so talented that we're spoiled as an audience. Jafta Mambolo is young Kunene and Rapulana Seiphemo plays the adult Lucky Kuene and they both are effortless.

I really liked the way this movie moved quickly and yet spared nothing.I came away from this movie wanting to see more Soweto adventures because I knew there must be one,so I watched it twice.

A movie that speaks to the core of the human spirit. As much as the movie is South African, anyone who has been faced with hardship will relate. Our dreams, when they shatter and fade painfully silently and the dark talents we discover in desperation for a moment to live the life we once aspired to. Seiphemo, Zekele and the supporting cast are brilliant on a script that pulls no punches, with impeccable direction. The overall execution leaves no vague on what goes wrong and how it becomes celebrated as fruits of crime are reaped and shared by even the most moral in our lives. South African cinema has moved to the next stage in evolution i.e. reflection on some of the darker sides of the new South Africa. A masterpiece.

If you thought Tsotsi was brilliant, Jerusalema will blow you away. It's about determination and hope. I've never seen such an apt depiction of township life. Big -up 2 the producers for the angle they took. I loved the music and how they tied Jerusalema with the lead characters' praying mother! A must see, for inspiration if nothing else!

Guys lets praise SA for producing such an magnificent movie in the international screens, u better start going to the cinemas to watch the awesome job did by our camera men, editors and directors etc. Big up Mzantsi Big up.

DIRECTOR Ralph Ziman's vivid, action-packed South African gangster epic makes for exciting big screen entertainment. Highly commercial and hardly politically correct, but reeking with authenticity, the aptly and ironically titled "Jerusalema" offers cinema-goers the same sort of tough, high-energy thrills as crime epics like "Scarface", "American Gangster" and "City of God". Unlike "Tsotsi", it's not out win awards, or to preach about the struggle. It's out to please crowds. Yet, while telling a strong, funny, gripping, well-acted story of a young gangster's rise to power, it also manages to paint a devastating picture of how and why crime has spiraled out of control in the new South Africa. Telling its tale on a broad canvas, it begins in Soweto in the early 1990s, introducing the audience to two teenage boys, Lucky Kunene (Jafta Mamabolo) and his best friend Zakes (Motlatsi Mahloko). Lucky is an intelligent, ambitious youngster from a poor single parent home who is accepted into university. He doesn't, however, get a bursary, so he tries to earn money through various legitimate schemes. None of which succeed. Eventually he and Zakes are sucked into crime though their relationship with Nazareth (a potent Jeffrey Sekele), an angry disaffected, former ANC guerilla. And soon they're hijacking cars ("affirmative repossession", says Nazareth). But, after a botched robbery and a near fatal encounter with the police, the lads must flee to the "jungles" of Hillbrow. Cut to five years later. Lucky and Zakes (now played by Rapulana Seiphemo and Ronnie Nyakale) are operating a pirate Taxi and scraping by. It's a dangerous life and when armed rivals steal their taxi, Lucky decides to return to crime. "Jeruselema" might shock some middle-class viewers, but it is riveting fare and the crowd I saw it with clapped and cheered along with the action. The charismatic Seiphemo delivers a stunning performance - turning Lucky into a surprisingly sympathetic anti-hero, and he's superbly supported by Nyakale, Sekele and a devilish Malusi Skenjana, who plays a slimy Nigerian drug dealer. Then there are the great action scenes and the powerful underlying themes. This vibrant, violent, colorful, authentic crime thriller, which pays homage to Michael Mann's classic, "Heat" heralds a new dawn in South African film-making and is highly recommended to audiences looking for top notch entertainment.