Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 32 Ratings

  • Starring: Israel Makoe, Mothusi Magano, Presley Chweneyagae
  • Summary: Set amidst the bustling townships of Johannesburg and infused with the pumping high-energy Kwaito music of the top South African artist Zola, Tsotsi is an extraordinary portrait of the choices we make in life and the personal triumph that comes from choosing love over rage. (Miramax Films)
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 35
  2. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. 100
    What a simple and yet profound story this is.
  2. Reviewed by: Phil Hall
    80
    Tsotsi emerges as being among the finest films ever to come out of Africa. It is a brilliant, jolting and altogether powerful blast of energy and emotion.
  3. Brutal but believable, the film in some ways harks back to early Hollywood, when Jimmy Cagney or Richard Widmark played callow villains out of their depth in everyday life.
  4. 50
    Ends in a cascade of sentimentality straight out of Hollywood. Not even Chweneyagae's excellent acting or Lance Gewer's dark photography can save the film.

See all 35 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. 10
    I really liked this movie, when I submit a review for a film, I think of the "bad" parts that brings the movie down from a 10, but I really can't think of any, the story was great, it had such a high level of realism, and I even began to care about some of the characters near the end. Expand
  2. DanielS
    8
    Beautifully crafted and well-acted film about a thug's redemptiom in the shanty towns of South Africa. Some may find this story as glossing over the brutality of the characters' actions, and providing an improbable transformation, but they're missing the finest and subtlest points of the film. It's clear from the on-set this is set in a violent harsh world, and it's captured in breathtaking shots by superb cinematography, editing and direction. This is a compelling film of a young man who needs a moment of humanity to affect him and his future. Expand
  3. Although there is plenty to praise about, the excess emotional involvement of the thug from the slums of JoBurg leaves a strong Hollywood aftertaste in the mouth. Expand
  4. JaneanP.
    3
    Worse than Crash; between this and Joyeux Noel, I've lost faith in any Oscar nominee being worth watching.

See all 17 User Reviews

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