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“After every revolution comes a new order, but before that comes opportunity,” recites Lucky Kunene (Rapulana Seiphemo), crime boss, slum lord and post-Apartheid opportunist.
He should know – trading up Soweto slums for a drug-swamped Johannesburg, he idolises Al Capone and Karl Marx, and boasts a ruthless business mind that’s made him a Joho top gun. At least that’s what transpires in the second half of this grungy, sprawling South African saga.
The far superior ’90s-set first half tackles Lucky’s lowly beginnings with wily humour and precision pacing, tracking the young dreamer as he goes from selling sweets on trains (“Free enterprise was never encouraged”) to hi-jacking cars for Russia-trained ex-soldier Nazareth Mbolelo ( Jeffrey Zekele).
That proceedings eventually divert into a rambling, racism-probing mob movie replete with love interest and undercooked cop plot is a shame. Still, Jerusalema remains an elegant third venture from director Ralph Ziman.
Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.
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