ign logo IGN.com | AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GameSpy | FilePlanet | TeamXbox | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | Direct2Drive

RottenTomatoes.com

RT Bug Squash
Home Movies DVD Celebrities News Critics Photos & Trailers The Vine Forums
Box Office | In Theaters | Opening | Upcoming | Best Of | Certified Fresh | Showtimes
Register for free site & special features! | Log In | What is RT?
                       
MOVIES / ON DVD / TSOTSI
Tsotsi

Rate This Movie

Write a Review
Share This Movie
Add to List
Buy DVD
Buy Poster

Bookmark and Share

Tsotsi (2006)

81%
89%
85%
N/A
N/A
N/A
81 %
Reviews Counted: 122 Fresh: 99  Rotten:23 Average Rating: 7.4/10
 
Consensus: Chweneyagae's powerful performance carries this simple yet searing tale of a shantytown teenager's redemption. Chweneyagae's powerful performance carries this simple yet searing tale of a shantytown teenager's redemption. more
 
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Theatrical Release: Feb 24, 2006 Limited
Box Office: $2,753,840
Synopsis:
Based on South African playwright Athol Fugard's only novel, TSOTSI is a thrilling, provocative look at life in the ghettos outside present-day Johannesburg. Presley Chweneyagae stars as the title character, a teenager with a killer stare who lives alone in a ramshackle room in a poor... [More]
Based on South African playwright Athol Fugard's only novel, TSOTSI is a thrilling, provocative look at life in the ghettos outside present-day Johannesburg. Presley Chweneyagae stars as the title character, a teenager with a killer stare who lives alone in a ramshackle room in a poor shantytown, where he pulls off petty crimes with the help of three compatriots--Boston (Mothusi Magano), Butcher (Zenzo Ngqobe), and Aap (Kenneth Nkosi). But after they stab a man to death on the subway and Tsotsi (which means "thug" or "gangster") beats up Boston for trying to find out about his past, Tsotsi runs off to a wealthy section of the city, shoots a woman, and steals her car. Only later does he discover that there is a baby in the back seat--and decides to keep it for himself. As Tsotsi finally does look back at his own childhood, he tries to take care of the infant, carrying it around in a paper bag and forcing a young mother, Miriam (Terry Pheto), to breastfeed it at gunpoint. At this point, writer-director Gavin Hood could have opted for trite sentimentality, but instead he delves deeper into Tsotsi's psyche, as the young man might have already gone too far to turn back now. TSOTSI is a pulsating, electrifying film propelled by Chweneyagae's powerful, mesmerizing performance. The pounding soundtrack features popular local Kwaito music by Zola, who also plays crimelord Fela in the film. Winner of the 2006 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, TSOTSI "will rank as one of the best films ever to come out of South Africa," as Fugard himself said. [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Kenneth Nkosi, Zenzo Ngqobe, Terry Pheto

Director: Gavin Hood

DVD Info

Release:

Jul 18, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English, Zulu
  • Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Gavin Hood - Director
  • Alternate Scenese - 1. Alternate Endings (w/ Optional Commentary)
  • 2. Deleted Scenes (w/ Optional Commentary)
  • Behind the Scenes - "The Making Of TSOTSI"
  • Bonus Shorts - THE STOREKEEPER

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
T-Meter Critics
 
 
Top Critics
 
 
RT Community
 
 
My Critics
 
 
My Friends
 
 
DVD
 
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Arrange By: Name | Fresh | Rotten | Date | Source
 
 
Ratings Image

The Johannesburg equivalent of any stateside gangster fairy tale, Tsotsi actually feels even more forced than Hollywood's modern urban dramas.

Full Review | Comment
09/17/07 09:04 PM
Christopher Campbell
Cinematical
Ratings Image

Memorable, with a terrific performance by Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi that burns in its contained rage.

Full Review | Comment
09/16/07 07:36 PM
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Ratings Image

Don't be fooled by the subtitles and the egg head accolades. This pretentious mess is just another country's version of 50 Cent-style fare.

Full Review | Comment
07/14/07 09:04 PM
Kam Williams
Upstage Magazine
Ratings Image

Un drama urbano duro y conmovedor, si bien algo previsible, con un estupendo protagonista. Una película realmente atendible que nos acerca al infrecuente cine sudafricano.

Full Review | Comment
03/13/07 10:34 PM
Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
Ratings Image

This powerful story, reminiscent of Dostoyevsky's 'Crime and Punishment,' is told with a minimum of dialogue.

Full Review | Comment
01/14/07 04:29 PM
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image

This film won the Oscar for best foreign language film, and it is well deserved.

Full Review | Comment
07/26/06 05:08 PM
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
Ratings Image

told with conviction and skill, and Chweneyagae's expressive face and eyes reveal all the emotions, fears and hopes that Tsotsi cannot articulate.

Full Review | Comment
07/14/06 04:19 AM
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
Ratings Image

In the long run, the film may not entirely satisfy one's intellectual curiosity, but it pleases the heart.

Full Review | Comment
07/09/06 03:44 PM
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image

A chance for the stay-at-home world-travelers to catch sight of Johannesburg's filthy sprawling township of Soweto.

Full Review | Comment
05/13/06 06:02 PM
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

It’s well-acted, beautifully photographed and meticulously professional.

Full Review | Comment
05/12/06 03:16 AM
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Ratings Image

Tsotsi remains at all times an intensely human story, one that transcends the particulars of its time and its place.

Full Review | Comment
05/06/06 04:01 AM
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

A film of extraordinary viciousness and vulnerability about a criminal who has to meet an infant to remember he is still a child himself.

Full Review | Comment
05/04/06 02:07 PM
Matt Pais
Metromix.com
Ratings Image

Without cheap deceptions, clever editing, plot conveniences or overt exposition, the film pulls you in and keeps you there on the merit of the story's substance.

Full Review | Comment
05/03/06 05:57 PM
Rubin Safaya
Cinemalogue.com
Ratings Image

But by placing the tale in contemporary Soweto and Johannesburg, South Africa, Hood imbues the film with a sense of authenticity that makes the movie seem more moving than manipulative.

Full Review | Comment
04/22/06 02:07 PM
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image

Gavin Hood, adapting playwright Athol Fugard's 1980 novel, sweeps us out of our comfy seats and drops us into the stark realities of an impoverished world ruled by those most bold and ruthless.

Full Review | Comment
04/17/06 09:30 AM
Larry Ratliff
San Antonio Express-News
Ratings Image

Newcomer Presley Chweneyagae is stunning as Tsotsi; it's one of the most affecting performances of 2005.

Full Review | Comment
04/14/06 05:19 PM
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Ratings Image

It is Tsotsi's own unresolved infantilism that is the story's true Baby On Board.

Full Review | Comment
04/14/06 11:37 AM
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Ratings Image

It is a first peek at a South Africa that doesn't need a Hollywood studio or Hollywood stars to present itself to the world, or to come to grips with itself at home.

Full Review | Comment
04/07/06 05:22 PM
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
Ratings Image

Stirring performances and well-aimed filmcraft.

Full Review | Comment
04/06/06 03:15 AM
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
Ratings Image

Tsotsi makes its bid for youth appeal with a fair amount of violence and a soundtrack partially made up of Kwaito music...Ultimately, though, it boils down to a conventionally humanist coming-of-age story.

Full Review | Comment
04/06/06 12:50 AM
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
See More Topics...

Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
TSOTSI (based on Athol Fugard's book) gets a USA release on Feb. 24, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/16/06


REEL_REVIEWER
TSOTSI (based on Athol Fugard's book) gets a USA release on Feb. 24, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/16/06


REEL_REVIEWER
TSOTSI (based on Athol Fugard's book) gets a USA release on Feb. 24, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/16/06


REEL_REVIEWER
TSOTSI (based on Athol Fugard's book) gets a USA release on Feb. 24, 2006!!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/16/06
all

Pictures

all

Videos

Trailer
Watch Now >>
all

News

More Wolverine News Than You Can Shake a Claw At!
posted by Jeff Giles August 07, 2007
In the mood for a little dish on the forthcoming Wolverine movie? How about a lot? Today's your lucky day -- Wizard has...


Wolverine Has a Director!
posted by Scott Weinberg July 20, 2007
Fox has (finally) signed a director for their upcoming "Wolverine" spin-off, and the lucky helmer is ... Gavin Hood,...


The Weekly Ketchup: "Casino Royale" Goodies, "The Dark Knight" Heads East, No Governator In "Terminator 4," And More!
posted by Nick Hershey October 27, 2006
In this week's Ketchup, we get the latest scoop on "Casino Royale," "The Dark Knight" has a...


The Weekly Ketchup: Keith Richards's "Pirates of the Caribbean" Antics, Hermione's "Harry Potter" Doubts, Stallone Speculation, And More!
posted by Nick Hershey September 29, 2006
In this week's Ketchup, Keith Richards is living up to everyone's expectations on the set of the third...

Around the Network

• Tsotsi at Rotten Tomatoes
• Tsotsi at IGN
• Tsotsi at AskMen
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | ModCenter | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive

By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.