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GANGSTER'S PARADISE: JERUSALEMAMovie Reviews
Crime drama set in Johannesburg about a young man's graduation from petty criminal to criminal kingpin in the years before and after the fall of apartheid. Cast:Rapulana Seiphemo, Ronnie Nyakale, Shelly Meskin, Jeffrey Sekele, Malusi SkenjanaDirector:Ralph ZimanRelease Date:June 11, 2010DVD Release:September 28, 2010From:Anchor BayRating:RLength:1 hr 59 min
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema played in limited release to mixed reviews. • Mimi Honeycutt wrote in the Houston Chronicle, "...a refreshing break from the typical Hollywood gangster melodrama." • And Joe Neumaier wrote in the New York Daily News, "Writer-director Ralph Ziman knows the mean streets his characters stalk, but the formulaic feel does the whole thing in." More Reviews Below...
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's easy to overlook the formulas and just enjoy the ride. It helps that the urban setting is new (to American viewers) and interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 06/11/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "It's a fresh idea, with a time-and-place-specific pungency... but the whole effort is undermined by an abundance of mob-movie cliches."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 06/11/10
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "The proceedings start promisingly... The movie loses all credibility when Lucky dons a yarmulke and joins the woman for her family's Passover seder."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 06/11/10
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...wantonly exploits destitution and violence for genre thrills. Though South Africa's racial strife is frequently invoked, sociopolitical inquiry takes a backseat..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 06/09/10
KEY CITIES (1 Review)
Mimi Honeycutt, Houston Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a refreshing break from the typical Hollywood gangster melodrama.... The language, which blends English, Afrikaans and Fanagalo, makes the world come alive."(See all of Mimi Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 393 words, 06/12/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (3 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...wantonly exploits destitution and violence for genre thrills. Though South Africa's racial strife is frequently invoked, sociopolitical inquiry takes a backseat..."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 06/09/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Rapulana Seiphemo offers a compelling central performance as Lucky, even though 'Jerusalema' can prove frustratingly vague about the nature of his empire..."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 06/07/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...electrifying... startlingly original, if occasionally overambitious. This is 'Tsotsi' without the feel-good glow, a tale of entrepreneurship's perils and boundless pleasures."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 06/11/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's easy to overlook the formulas and just enjoy the ride. It helps that the urban setting is new (to American viewers) and interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 06/11/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "It's a fresh idea, with a time-and-place-specific pungency... but the whole effort is undermined by an abundance of mob-movie cliches."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 06/11/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Eddie Cockrell, Daily Variety: GOOD "...propulsive, glossy, Johannesburg-set... overcomes derivative genre cliches and daunting length to punch home its crime-doesn't-pay message on chutzpah alone."(See all of Eddie Cockrell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 06/08/10
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "It's a fresh idea, with a time-and-place-specific pungency... but the whole effort is undermined by an abundance of mob-movie cliches."(See all of Robert Abele's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 246 words, 06/11/10
Mike Hale, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...it's easy to overlook the formulas and just enjoy the ride. It helps that the urban setting is new (to American viewers) and interesting..."(See all of Mike Hale's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 367 words, 06/11/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: OUTSTANDING "...electrifying... startlingly original, if occasionally overambitious. This is 'Tsotsi' without the feel-good glow, a tale of entrepreneurship's perils and boundless pleasures."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 149 words, 06/11/10
25.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema's reviews are separated by an average 25.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (10 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema's reviews cover 14.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 2,466 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 247 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 7.1 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema's reviews on average broke 7.1 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (10 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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