Well made but any real depth is overshadowed by the forced sentimentality. It tries to be gritty but is unwilling to really lay bare either the violence or the terrible conditions of the slums, and it tries to be a story of redemption with only a minimal amount of character depth. It also ends up muddling its message because it seems to only apply to the main character and not everyone else in the film, undermining any universality.

The movie didn't do much for me but I appreciate the intentions.

A very emotional film about a child with no family so he gets adopted by another rich family. It is good becauyse Tsotsi is always finding new relatives and he is a big muscley person who likes to do good things.

Moving portrayal of a life in turmoil with difficult decisions to be made.

Interesting, original view of life in the slums seems a little too bright and glossy at times -- except for the quite chilling flashback sequences which show what the movie could have been if it had a little more edge. As it is, Chweneyagae makes for a surprisingly likable hero (in spite of his heinous actions) and a boisterous soundtrack combined with genuinely moving moments does retain interest.

'Tsotsi' may be rooted in melodrama, but you either buy this premise or you don't. Well-acted and directed, the film is reserved, calm, and doesn't reach down your throat to deliver its simple (questionable) tale of redemption for a young thug in the slums of South Africa.

Decent film tackling a divide between the rough and poorly educated people of the slums and the elite who avoid them, but ultimately reveals little beyond personal redemption.

"The story's lame, condesending objective dictates that bringing-up-baby histrionics will melt the savage beast." - Ed Gonzalez

There are some wonderfully nasty moments in this film, but for the rest it's a mix & match of things seen before, and the character arc is a little fantastical.

82.000