X

2006
R
Miramax
1 h 35 m

2006
R
Miramax
1 h 35 m

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)

Directed By: Gavin Hood

Written By: Athol Fugard, Gavin Hood

2006
R
Miramax
1 h 35 m

2006
R
Miramax
1 h 35 m

Tsotsi

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews

70

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

7.1

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

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)

Directed By: Gavin Hood

Written By: Athol Fugard, Gavin Hood

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews

80% Positive
28 Reviews

20% Mixed
7 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 35 Critic Reviews

80% Positive
28 Reviews

20% Mixed
7 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

San Francisco Chronicle

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.

By Ruthe Stein FULL REVIEW

Washington Post

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.

By Desson Thomson FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

75% Positive
12 Ratings

25% Mixed
4 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 16 User Ratings

75% Positive
12 Ratings

25% Mixed
4 Ratings

0% Negative
0 Ratings

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Jan 24, 2021

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

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Oct 9, 2022

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.

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Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

By Carrie Rickey FULL REVIEW

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

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.

By Rick Groen FULL REVIEW

The New Republic

The cast is so good that a kind of counterpoint arises between the riskily lachrymose story and the firm verity of the acting.

By Stanley Kauffmann FULL REVIEW

Austin Chronicle

What Tsotsi fails to explain is how the mere introduction of a baby can melt the cruel cycle of criminality and disregard for others.

By Marjorie Baumgarten FULL REVIEW

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.

By Jessica Winter FULL REVIEW

See All 35 Critic Reviews

May 1, 2011

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.

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Mar 1, 2011

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.

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See All 4 User Reviews

Details

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 35 m

Rating R

Genres

Tagline In this world... redemption just comes once.

Website http://www.miramax.com/movie/tsotsi

View All Details

Awards

Academy Awards, USA

• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Golden Globes, USA

• 1 Nomination

South African Film and Television Awards

• 6 Wins & 10 Nominations

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