SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

nicolailaros Judging by the incredibly low rate and the extreme negative reviews, "City of Blood" seems to be perceived by many as a total cinematographic failure. After buying this one in a little Italian Fumetti Shop (I read about Darrel Roodt's "The Stick" a couple of years ago and was simply intrigued), I decided quickly to figure out by myself why and if it really deserves this kind of reception. I must admit I'm not sure having seen the same film than nearby everybody here on IMDB... For sure, "City of Blood" hasn't much in common with every usual campy horror flick you can grab out of a 50 cent purchase bin of your favorite Walmart or even Blockbuster videoclub ... Could you REALLY expect something like that here??? "City of Blood", even if it totaly belongs to the genre, is much more than only that: it is very well directed (I love the use of the Steadycam in this movie, and the light effects), written (Darrel Roodt knows the profound wounds of his country better than anybody and tell us a terrible story to get a bit more aware of what is STILL concretely happening in South Africa... and mayby not to die too stupid...), with unusal characters and played by actors wisely chosen, far far away from the kind of Tom Cruise prototype hero - I mean so much more real, alive as human beings- that I get goosebumbs when I go with them through this living hell they(/we) are trapped in... If you love unusual, strange, uncomfortable ghost storries AND horror movies as well as Peter Weir's "The Last Wave" and John Mc Tiernan's "Nomads", on a low budget scale but with no less than true heart and talent, check this one out: "City of Blood" (beautiful titel by the way...;-)!) is for sure one of the most underrated movies on IMDB for me so far (what drove/motivated me to write once again a review after so many years). You won't be dissapointed if you don't expect the usual genre clichés. And by the way, bravo mister Roodt: your movie has something (important) to say and is still cool to watch! I simply love it!!!

K H Although marketed as a slasher, "City of Blood" is a gritty and tense political thriller with some slasher elements. It is atmospheric and stylishly directed. The outstanding Joe Stewardson is a grizzled medical examiner being strong-armed by the government to sign a death-certificate of a black leader killed in police custody. Meanwhile, a series of killings of prostitutes are traced to a 2000 year old traditional club.This is one of my favorite Darrell Roodt films along with "Place for Weeping" and "The Stick". More so than any other director, Roodt captures the fear that was presumably setting in for white South Africans in the 1980s as apartheid began to (thankfully) crumble amidst increasing violence and opposition. A chilling and under-appreciated film.

Josh G I felt the need to add my say in City of Blood after reading nothing but bad reviews here on IMDb. And everywhere else.There's a political message, and it is pretty much drama for a good part of the middle hour, and as a slasher fan I was worried about finally watching this. However, with a strong "2000 years ago" opening and some modern day killings with a unique slasher disguise & weaponry choices, I was satisfied with what it offered me in the sub-genre. Perhaps this is because I have seen most (and I do mean MOST) of the slasher films from the 70s and 80s, and after seeing some of the absolute worst those decades had to offer (oddly enough, not as bad as the new millennium stuff) I've been ready for City of Blood for a long time. The story is strong and if you care about more than just deaths in these types of films, you could be pleasantly surprised.Think of this as a political cop-thriller with slasher elements rather than a slasher with a theme. I welcome it to the family, but just make sure not to expect something you're not ready for. A party film... this is not.

FieCrier Two Africans are killed 2,000 years ago by a pair of African witch doctor-looking men. In the present day, a white South African medical examiner is investigating the deaths of prostitutes who are killed by a weapon that leaves five holes in their skulls. Somehow he connects this to tribes in Africa that had lived 10,000 years ago.He also refuses to sign a blank death certificate for an African hero. Government officials, including the prime minister, try to pressure him to do it, while a black couple hopes that he will not.He hallucinates his wife (not sure what that was all about), and seemingly hallucinates late- night drives and conversations with prostitutes that turn out to have been real.What the ancient Africans have to do with anything, or why the prostitutes were being killed, is beyond me. Perhaps a South African audience would have understood this movie better.As others have said, it's a snoozer. Lots of scenes of nothing happening, and the lead actor is a mumbler who isn't particularly charismatic.