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Movies / On DVD / Tsotsi
Tsotsi

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Tsotsi (2006)

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Reviews Counted: 123

Fresh: 100

Rotten:23

Average Rating: 7.4/10

Consensus: Chweneyagae's powerful performance carries this simple yet searing tale of a shantytown teenager's redemption.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some strong violent content.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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. [More]

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

Starring: Presley Chweneyagae, Mothusi Magano, Kenneth Nkosi, Zenzo Ngqobe, Terry Pheto, Zola, Jerry Mofokeng, Rapulana Seiphemo, Ian Roberts

Director: Gavin Hood

Director: Gavin Hood
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Jul 18, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Tsotsi
  • Captivating audiences worldwide, this compelling story of crime and redemption has earned countless awards around the globe. On the edges of Johannesburg, Tsotsi's life has no meaning beyond survival. One night, in desperation, Tsotsi steals a woman's car. But as he is driving off, he makes a shocking discovery in the backseat. In one moment his life takes a sharp turn and leads him down an unexpected path to redemption ... giving him hope for a future he never could have imagined. TSOTSI is an extraordinary portrait of the choices that are made in life and how compassion can endure in the human heart. From Miramax Films, the studio that brings you the best in world cinema (CITY OF GOD, AMÉLIE, THE CHORUS).
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Tsotsi

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    04/23/09
    Peter Keough
    Boston Phoenix
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Bob Mondello
    NPR.org

    ...an emotionally honest tale of redemption that does not ignore the fact that we live in a world of cause and consequence.

    Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
    02/28/08
    Brandon Fibbs
    BrandonFibbs.com

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

    Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
    09/17/07
    Christopher Campbell
    Cinematical

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

    Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
    09/16/07
    Christopher Smith
    Bangor Daily News (Maine)

    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 Source: Upstage Magazine | comment 1 Comment
    07/14/07
    Kam Williams
    Upstage Magazine

    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 Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
    03/13/07
    Enrique Buchichio
    Uruguay Total

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

    Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
    01/14/07
    Robert Roten
    Laramie Movie Scope

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

    Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
    07/26/06
    Kevin Carr
    7M Pictures

    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 Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
    07/14/06
    James Sanford
    Kalamazoo Gazette

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

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    07/09/06
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
    07/01/06
    Sydney Morning Herald

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

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    05/13/06
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    05/12/06
    Jim Lane
    Sacramento News & Review

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

    Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    05/06/06
    Andrea Chase
    Killer Movie Reviews

    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 Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
    05/04/06
    Matt Pais
    Metromix.com

    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 Source: Cinemalogue.com | comment Comment
    05/03/06
    Rubin Safaya
    Cinemalogue.com

    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 Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    04/22/06
    Dan Lybarger
    eFilmCritic.com

    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 Source: San Antonio Express-News | comment Comment
    04/17/06
    Larry Ratliff
    San Antonio Express-News
     
     
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