City of God is a 2002 Brazilian epic crime film directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. The screenplay, written by Bráulio Mantovani, is adapted from the 1997 novel by Paulo Lins, though the plot is also loosely based on real events. The film portrays the rise of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro between the late 1960s and early 1980s, culminating in a war between drug dealer Li'l Zé and vigilante-turned-criminal Knockout Ned. Its tagline is, "If you run, the beast catches you; if you stay, the beast eats you."