SummarySet 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)
Directed By:Gavin Hood
Written By:Gavin Hood, Athol Fugard
Tsotsi
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
80% Positive
28 Reviews
28 Reviews
20% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
It grabs you from a symbolic opening scene of gang members rolling the dice -- the odds, it soon becomes clear, are stacked against them getting lucky -- and never lets go.
80
As Tsotsi, Chweneyagae turns his face into a living battle mask -- curved, molded and sandpapered into smooth ruthlessness. But as the story unfolds, Tsotsi's mask begins to crack, and his humanity begins to flow through.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.1
78% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
22% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Jan 24, 2021
8
A movie that expolres the criminal and violent side of South Africa. The tale of redemption is a bit of a stretch though.
Oct 9, 2022
7
This south african crime drama doesn't tell a new story. A villains redemption through healing childhood trauma isn't new but is made more compelling in this iteration by it's performances. Never allowing itself to become too dark this meditation on violence and its consequences aims not to excuse it's protagonist but to give the audience insight into criminality. The desperation that pervades the south african criminal underbelly. It does so swiftly and without an agenda creating for a fascinating story of accountability.
75
Evocatively shot by cinematographer Lance Gewer in warm browns and reds that make Tsotsi seem all the more chilling, the film records his gradual metamorphosis from id-driven brute into empathic, if crude, care-giver.
75
The result is the kind of feel-bad/feel-good movie that brazenly manipulates our response and leaves us grateful for it -- so relentlessly dark is the premise that, by the end, we just need to believe in the prospect of light.
70
The cast is so good that a kind of counterpoint arises between the riskily lachrymose story and the firm verity of the acting.
50
What Tsotsi fails to explain is how the mere introduction of a baby can melt the cruel cycle of criminality and disregard for others.
50
A widescreen wallow in socially enforced slum nihilism brought to you by Miramax, Tsotsi could be pegged as "City of God" relocated to the Soweto shanties, but it eschews the ironic swagger and strobe-speed action of Fernando Meirelles's lurid jigsaw for a more conventional arc.
May 1, 2011
7
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.
Mar 1, 2011
6
Stretched out, nice idea but poor realisation. Main character great, book is much better. It took me 3 days to watch it properly so thats one of the reasons for only 6 points.
Production Company:
- The UK Film & TV Production Company PLC
- Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa
- The National Film and Video Foundation of SA
- Moviworld
- Tsotsi Films
Release Date:Feb 24, 2006
Duration:1 h 34 m
Rating:R
Tagline:In this world... redemption just comes once.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
South African Film and Television Awards
• 6 Wins & 10 Nominations
