You don’t often hear about films from South Africa. I suppose the most famous one would be District 9, but Tsotsi is the first and so far only film from the country to win the Oscar for Best International film back in 2006. It’s a gritty, slum-based crime drama, much like City Of God, possibly my favourite example of the genre. It centres around a believable and earnest redemption arc, following a willing member of the criminal underworld as he finds a reason to try and do better in his life. There’s a lack of preachiness and speechifying that’s so common in films like this, where characters spout hollow, predictable platitudes that belong more on a Hallmark card than in a feature film. Presley Chweneyagae turns in a performance that’s both restrained and emotionally affecting, not going over the top or ever really using more emotion than he needs to. He’s well served by a talented, if underutilised, supporting cast. The character of Miriam especially could have been a fantastic component of the overall storyline, but she never gets enough to do, and it feels like squandered potential. Minor issues aside, Tsotsi is a film that more people should see and discuss. I never hear it brought up in any movie related conversations, and that’s something that definitely needs to change.

A movie that expolres the criminal and violent side of South Africa. The tale of redemption is a bit of a stretch though.

Amazing character study and well made film.

The cops in this movie at great. At one point they ride around in this incredibly unintimidating sedan-truck, constantly are leveling Glocks at the heads of suspects like they're in some '80s action movie, and later on one picks up a criminal's gun during a home infiltration and turns it on the guy like the cop forgot to bring his own. Tsotsi is an important film in the development of African cinema on the world stage, sweeping awards in the United States and beyond where predecessors did not, but can either be heart-melting or childish based on interpretation. Presley Chweneyagae's Tsotsi ('gangster') is a thug without morals or scruples, a man who has abandoned his former identity after facing cruelty at home. However, when he accidentally kidnaps a baby (who only cries when the story demands it, and never outside of those demands) as part of a carjacking, that stony-faced persona begins to crack and melt away, as he sees some bit of his former self in the innocence of a child. Some people called it a refreshing turn from other modern dramas that focused too heavily on darker storylines, but the transformation seems totally unjustified. We go from 'stabbing a guy with an icepick in a train' to 'here's some milk, boy-o' in about half an hour, with little explanation apart from some belief that inside of every criminal there's a mistreated former child. It has some solid performances, many of the details feel solid, and the international recognition was significant, but the premise alone sort of betrays the film. African cinema has a lot to offer, including many unique and highly original details rooted in a wide range of cultures, that making this the poster child for a continent seems like a rather timid decision. (2.5/5)

Set in Johannesburg, David is a young man who, after his mother's death from AIDS, resorts to a life of crime, seemingly devoid of any emotion other than anger. After carjacking a vehicle, he realizes that he has kidnapped the victim's baby, forcing him to reevaluate his life. Once you get past the unlikely scenario of David keeping the baby instead of leaving it in the car, Tsotsi is a fascinating examination of the evolution of a heartless criminal. It is a film about compassion and redemption, beautifully shot in the slums of the city and featuring excellent performances from the cast, including that of Presley Chweneyagae in the lead role. As an added bonus, the soundtrack and score are remarkable.

A powerful story of redemption so check it out because this director should be looked at his other works like this and not X men origins Wolverine.

Very powerful movie. It did strike a cord with me seeing how life circumstances dishes crap for a chance for life in ones on environment. From the early childhood what kind of a start one gets. Family environment does influence a young life. Its raw its gets to the core. I loved it. Great acting, producing the lot. Makes me wonder how one can do a redemption and change one destiny. Would love to see a continuum of the movie.

Somewhat of a hidden gem, in which Presley Chweneyagae stars with a terrific performance. Excellent plot, powerful scenes, strong characters and some solid music. Highly recommended.

A young male is leader of a gang in south Africa and steals a car but fonda a baby in the backseat. he tries to care for it as best he can and hopes to do the right thing and return it to its mother. very good acting. dark in places

A fascinating study of the role poverty and abuse can play on a child's life. Incredible acting from the lead character, as well as everyone else. Tsotsi takes its time, but the end result is both satisfying and thought provoking

Awesome soundtrack!!! Also, this movie made me very uncomfortable at times - which speaks a lot of the filmmakers because you can't be unaffected by this film.

South African film based on the book of the same name. Based on a character called Tsotsi a young criminal in the shanty town/townships of Johannesburg. Tsotsi has no decency at the start of yhe film involved in fatal muggings, shootings, theft and the inadvertent abduction of a baby. His extreme methods even shock some of his fellow gang members. We see Tsotsi attempt to look after the baby instead of returning it to its rich Johannesburg parents. I swear that after seeing the poverty in the townships that I challenge anybody to question living standards here. The FIFA World Cup competition staged in South Africa in 2010 completely airbrushed it. The film uses the language of the townships as well as Afrikaans traditionally associated with the country. I never knew such language differences existed to be honest. In fact I am still in a state of shock at the real poverty displayed not the Hollywood version in District 9.

Although it paints an intriguing tale of redemption given its rather unlikable protagonist, TSOTSI ultimately suffers from an awkward pace that often stymies the momentum while raising too many questions regarding believability. Gavin Hood directs newcomer Presley Chweneyagae to a difficult and bravura performance - the best part of the film - but the film's strength in its title character of Tsotsi eventually becomes its biggest weakness: the entire plot never surpasses its risky premise, both redemption and forgiveness are not earned for Tsotsi (and viewers), and the film fails to bring enough to invoke sympathy. Just when we are about to be drawn in, the tone either takes a phony shift or a character's action withdraws the intensity - a shame considering its strong first act.

Simultaneously tough and beautiful, Tsotsi is an uneven but rewarding ride. Read my full review at movie-op.blogspot.com.

This movie is a rare gem that combines a great story with great acting; it is a pleasure from soundtrack to cinematography, and everything inbetween. The main character (the acting is fantastic) has shut himself off from emotion in order to survive; he's had a difficult time in life. He's cold & calculating, yet as a gang leader, he tries to look out for his own. Everything changes when he stumbles by accident across innocence, in the form of a baby found in the backseat of a car he steals. What made him shut himself off from the world was losing a dog he loved but couldn't save. Now, years later, he's presented with another innocent creature - this one's fate depends entirely on him, and he can't ignore that...yet won't succumb to it immediately either. So begins his struggle; he resists feeling again, yet can't help feeling again. He wants to give the baby up, yet doesn't want to. As he faces this delimma, there are others to deal with, involving the other characters around him. Ultimately, his reason for existing becomes about more than just existing. However, this is far from a sappy, heartworming story. It's full of an appropriate amount of grit, people forced to accept the unacceptable, grey ambiguities as opposed to black and white clarities, and harsh realities. But, it's realism is part of what makes this movie so enjoyable.

This is a film whose star seems to have faded since it's Foreign Language Film Oscar win. In many ways, it's a trite melodrama dressed up as a gritty bit of neorealism. It's pretty good as trite melodramas go, but it's tough to see what the hype was about.

a nice try with little results

A fairly easy setup but ladened with powerful performances and many deep sociological undertones, Tsotsi proves that a simple and somewhat generic story-arc can still be applied successfully to many situations.

The brutality and squalor of Johannesburg's urban slums is powerfully conveyed through Presley Chweneyagae's remarkable and emotionally telling performance, but a strong belief in the human spirit is present too.

While not reaching the heights of other 'life in the slum' movies (e.g. City of God), 'Tsoti' is a solid addition to the genre with its profound story portraying plenty of powerful, emotive scenes. More depth to the dialogue and the setting would have pushed it up to the next level.