Fresh
rags-to-riches tale cut from the same cloth as City of God, Goodfellas and Scarface.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema
Welcome to the promised land.
2008 · 2h · R
Action, Crime, Drama
Directed by
Ralph Ziman
Overview
This South African movie tracks the rise of a once-petty criminal to the heights of the criminal underworld. After cutting his teeth on hijacking, before moving onto bigger game, an ambitious man hits a setback when most of his gang are shot.
Director and cast
- Ralph Ziman Director
- Daniel Buckland as Josh Freidlander
- Robert Hobbs as Inspector Blakkie Swart
- Rapulana Seiphemo as Lucky Kunene
- Jeffrey Zekele as Nazareth
- Ronnie Nyakale as Zakes Mbolelo
- Shelley Meskin as Leah Friedlander (as Shelly Meskin)
- Malusi Skenjana as Tony Ngu
- Jafta Mamabolo as Young Kunene
- Motlatsi Mahloko as Young Zakes
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
77%
Tomatometer
Fresh
Writer-director Ralph Ziman strings it all together with slick competence, but given that leading man Rapulana Seiphemo does a persuasive line in moral ambiguity, it's disappointing that the proceedings too often default to glib shoot-'em-up.
Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Fresh
It's easy to overlook the formulas and just enjoy the ride.
Mike Hale, New York Times
Rotten
The opening credits of Gangster's Paradise note that it was "inspired by real events." It would be more accurate to say that the film was inspired by Brian De Palma's Scarface and similar fare.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Fresh
Startlingly original, if occasionally overambitious. This is Tsotsi without the feel-good glow, a tale of entrepreneurship's perils and boundless pleasures.
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
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