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Tsotsi

Name: Tsotsi
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 2005-12-23
Cast: Presley Chweneyagae, Jerry Mofokeng, Terry Pheto, Zenzo Ngqobe, Zola

2005 | 94 min | Crime, Drama

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It earned strong reviews (82% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for crime-drama fans. If you loved Boyz n the Hood or Menace II Society, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood: Dark and gritty.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 34 min.
What might put you off: Rated R: expect violence.
It's in another language, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

A young South African boy from the Johannesburg ghetto named Tsotsi, meaning Gangster, leaves home as a child to get away from his helpless parents. Now a teenage thug, Tsotsi finds a baby in the back seat of a car he's just stolen. He decides that it is his responsibility to care for the infant and in the process learns that maybe the criminal life isn’t the best way.

How it earned its rating

CriticsStrong
82% on Rotten Tomatoes, 70 on Metacritic
AudiencesSolid
6.9 out of 10
AwardsSolid
Won 1 Oscar: Best International Feature Film.
Box office & staying powerSolid
$10 million worldwide on a $3 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 50K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Gavin Hood

Presley ChweneyagaeTsotsi
Jerry MofokengMorris
Terry PhetoMiriam
Zenzo NgqobeButcher
ZolaFela
Rapulana SeiphemoJohn Dube
Nambitha MpumlwanaPumla Dube
Percy MatsemelaSergeant Zuma
Thembi NyandeniSoekie
Owen SejakeGumboot Dlamini