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Movies / On DVD / Tsotsi
Tsotsi

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Tsotsi (2006)

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Reviews Counted:125

Fresh:101

Rotten:24

Average Rating:7.4/10

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

Rated: 15 [See Full Rating] for language and some strong violent content.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:17-03-2006

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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Reviews for Tsotsi

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
4/5

Liz Beardsworth

With lively pacing, superb performances and a candid yet forgiving heart, Hood has created an inverse fairy tale that is never less than absorbing.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 01 2006 04:11 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato

Peter Bradshaw

This deceptively simple movie brings to mind Italian neo-realist classics of the 1940s, and Presley Chweneyagae, an amateur actor, is wholly convincing as the disoriented Tsotsi.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 18 2006 04:07 AM

Observer [UK]

tomato

Dave Calhoun

Important and vital -- if a little heavy-handed.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Matthew Turner

Hood maintains a constant level of tension, aided considerably by Cheweneyagae's magnificent performance.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2006 03:16 AM

ViewLondon

tomato
4/5

Jamie Woolley

Chweneyagae skulks with awesome menace, a cauldron of simmering rage and frustration and a performance of real skill, carrying the film effortlessly through to the nail-shredding conclusion.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 11 2006 04:08 AM

BBC

tomato
4.5/5

Rich Cline

Writer-director Hood draws out the story's stark themes with wit and feeling.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 10 2006 11:53 PM

FilmFocus

splat

Fernando F. Croce

Fraudulent, patronizing, and empty

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 30 2009 08:25 PM

CinePassion

N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

Cinema Crazed

N/R

Peter Keough

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 23 2009 03:16 AM

Boston Phoenix

N/R

Bob Mondello

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 18 2008 06:24 AM

NPR.org

tomato
4/5

Betsy Bozdech

Gavin Hood's Oscar-nominated tale about a young South African gangster who gets an unexpected chance at redemption is literally a world apart from anything produced by Hollywood.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 27 2008 07:12 PM

Hollywood.com

tomato
8/10

Brandon Fibbs

...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: | comment Comment | Feb., 28 2008 03:11 PM

BrandonFibbs.com

splat
2/5

Christopher Campbell

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 17 2007 09:04 PM

Cinematical

tomato
B+

Christopher Smith

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 16 2007 07:36 PM

Bangor Daily News (Maine)

splat
1/4

Kam Williams

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: | comment 1 Comment | Jul., 14 2007 09:04 PM

Upstage Magazine

tomato
3/5

Enrique Buchichio

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: | comment Comment | Mar., 13 2007 10:34 PM

Uruguay Total

tomato
A

Robert Roten

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 14 2007 04:29 PM

Laramie Movie Scope

tomato
4/5

Kevin Carr

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 26 2006 05:08 PM

7M Pictures

tomato
3/4

James Sanford

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: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2006 04:19 AM

Kalamazoo Gazette

tomato
7/10

John J. Puccio

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 09 2006 03:44 PM

DVDTown.com

 
 
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Latest News for Tsotsi

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