Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (2008)

A young hoodlum's rise from a small-time criminal to a powerful crime entrepreneur during the turbulent years before and after the fall of apartheid.

Director:

Ralph Ziman

Writer:

Ralph Ziman

Stars:

Rapulana Seiphemo, Jeffrey Zekele, Ronnie Nyakale

6 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rapulana Seiphemo	...	Lucky Kunene
Jeffrey Zekele	...	Nazareth
Ronnie Nyakale	...	Zakes Mbolelo
Shelley Meskin	...	Leah Friedlander (as Shelly Meskin)
Malusi Skenjana	...	Tony Ngu
Robert Hobbs	...	Inspector Blakkie Swart
Jafta Mamabolo	...	Young Kunene
Motlatsi Mahloko	...	Young Zakes
Kenneth Nkosi	...	Lucas Sithole
Sally Burdett	...	News reader
Lerato Moloi	...	Loretta Dlamini
Thandy Matlaila	...	Young Nomsa
Mzwandile Ngubeni	...	Young Bull
Gladys Mahlangu	...	Mama Kunene
Patrick Bakoba	...	Caiphas

Storyline

Starting off with simple smash and grabs, and petty crime, Lucky Kunene quickly graduates to more aggressive heists such as armed robbery and carjacking. Soon, Lucky realizes he needs a bigger score to fulfill his goals of making it big, and escaping from the slums, to a dream house by the sea. Kunene hatches an elaborate and violent plan to make his fortune - hijacking buildings from landlords of Johannesburg tenements by winning the favor of the tenants and then holding their rent hostage from the landowners. His high-profile real estate acquisitions attract the attention of the local police force who have no qualms about using unprovoked brutality to bring him down. His trouble with the law, coupled with an escalating war between a local drug lord, creates a tense standoff: both sides are closing in, and Kunene must stay one step ahead--or his empire, and his life, will come crashing down.

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Plot Keywords:

police | drug lord | carjacking | post apartheid | johannesburg south africa | 

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Taglines:

"If you're going to steal...Steal big, and hope like hell you get away with it!"

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, drug use and some sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

South Africa

Language:

English Afrikaans

Release Date:

29 August 2008 (South Africa)

Also Known As:

Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,958 (USA) (11 June 2010)

Gross:

$4,958 (USA) (11 June 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Muti Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A mixture of languages can be heard throughout the movie. Much of what the main characters speak to each other is township slang known as Tsotsitaal (literally 'gangster language') which is composed of vocabulary from Zulu, Sotho, Afrikaans, English, other African languages and invented slang. It is generally associated with young township-dwelling men, though some terms have entered mainstream South African parlance.

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Goofs

The characters withdraw money from an ABSA-branded ATM in 1994. The ABSA consumer branding was created in the late nineties, so an ABSA-branded ATM could not have existed in 1994.

User Reviews

Interesting Movie

I have just watched the movie for the first time just this past Friday, I was blown away and touched by it. i don't know if there is such a thing as a good thief, but I fell in love with Rapulano in this movie all over again, for me it had that James Bond element, except that his black and a thief, but that untouchable notion of 0007... Great story and acting. I felt sad for the white chick (grilfriend), not because of her colour, but as a women I could relate, when you think you know somebody but and realising that you don't and in such a matter is just so painful....., but on another hand....there was that element for me, of our black brothers going for white chicks... when they are loaded....even though in this movie that wasn't what brought them together.... interesting story indeed...