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!!!

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.

Story Synopsis: South Africa is rocked by a number of brutal killings where prostitutes are bashed in the head with a spiked club. Joe Henderson, the country's chief medical examiner (who is a bit of a basket case after his wife leaves him & takes their kids out of the country) believes that the killings are politically motivated by blacks after examining a symbol left at the site of each murder. But the case takes an unusual turn when an immensely old skull that is at least two thousand years old & has identical puncture marks to those of the dead hookers is found in the 'God's Acre' district. Henderson, who is so stressed that he begins to have a liaison with a prostitute, discovers that the killings are caused by an underground black leader who uses witch doctors as assassins in order to clean up the country & to instil terror in the white population. Meanwhile Henderson is placed under immense pressure by his superiors to cover up the accidental death of one of South Africa's most feared activists by signing a false death certificate, something that his own conscience prohibits him from doing.Film Analysis: City of Blood is a rather obscure thriller that was made in South Africa at a time when the country's apartheid system was giving it some serious pain by way of international sanctions. It would not be long before the system would collapse but in 1987 was already showing signs of self-destruction.The film seems to have some form of bizarre identity crisis – director Darrell Roodt doesn't seem to know exactly what kind of film he is making. City of Blood jumps genres very often with an ease that is quite disturbing, making it difficult to comprehend. One considers this a horror film but the horror element is extremely slight & takes a relative back seat to the other elements which include drama & political thriller. Roodt has the characters often making grandiose statements about the state of things in the country, most often bending the narrative severely out of shape. Not to mention the inclusion of a hero who is not fully coherent but who seems to be a relative basket case, talking to himself in bed, having affairs with prostitutes & so on.The other problem with a film like City of Blood is that Roodt stuffs up the horror element. It is almost impossible to fully understand the complete story given Roodt's haphazard plotting & technical inconsistencies (such as an irritating lack of continuity with one jarringly noticeable scene where the hero's jacket disappears twice while he is driving his car). It is never clear whether the killers are ghosts or simply witch doctors using black magic to teleport from one place to another.Having said that, City of Blood does have a certain dream-like atmosphere which goes a fair way in papering over some of the inconsistencies. Roodt does things like having characters obtain information through dreams, as well as having the hero's wife intriguingly appear at certain intervals as a sort of ghost, having the effect of making you wonder exactly what is going on in the hero's mind. Not to mention a semi-dream sequence between two lovers in a forest which leads to the discovery of the old skull. The ending where the hero commits suicide after signing the certificate is a sad compromise given his mental state & the massive pressure placed on him by the politicians.Joe Stewardson plays the hero, making the character of a weary semi-bureaucratic type his own & getting into it with commendable precision. Ian Yule makes an effective sidekick as the chief of police. Actor turned scriptwriter Greg Latter (who wrote the script for CYBORG COP, one of the 1990s' DTV cult classics) makes an appearance as one of the government agents pressuring the hero to sign the paper.

I'll have to agree with all the reviews posted on here thus far and say that this film can be mighty boring, but it isn't without a few charms. Also, I want to mention to never trust a VHS by its (back) cover: To just look at the pictures and the summary, it'd be easy to believe you're going to be seeing an undiscovered hardcore slasher film from the 80's, but... yeah... I don't know what it is I just saw.It starts out well enough, with good directing, acting, and atmosphere, not to mention an engaging storyline. No kidding, the first 30 minutes or so of this movie has some decent suspense and is interesting and sleazy enough to be watchable. I especially enjoyed the main character, who is amongst the worst "main characters" in history: sweaty, bloated, old, nasty, mean, and with a bulldog face. Who wants to look at this guy for 96 minutes? He keeps having psychic visions of his wife while he talks to himself and drives from prostitute to prostitute; meanwhile, he won't sign a death certificate and he decides to become a detective.After this point, there is some nonsense about African politics and more psychic visions, a few murders, and a suicide. The whole film has a really nice and dark look and a very grim, mean-spirited tone: there is no humor whatsoever. Also, the soundtrack is interesting because it's almost entirely chimes, pianos, and a nausea-inducing flanger pedal played forever. But, really, what WAS this? What was the point of this film? When it's all said and done, it doesn't really do anything. But man, that sure is a cool title for a film and a cool image on the box. Worth maybe watching for a few interesting moments... but it's nothing special.