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Movies / On DVD / City of Men
City of Men

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City of Men (2008)

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Reviews Counted:76

Fresh:57

Rotten:19

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Brutal and unflinching, City of Men is both a harrowing look at Brazil's favela life, and a touching tale of youths rushed into adulthood.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violent content, language and some sexuality.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Feb 29, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $242,655

Synopsis: Director Fernando Meirelles scored an unexpected hit with his disquieting 2003 feature CITY OF GOD. Subsequent years saw plenty of similar fare emerging from Brazil, and Meirelles even lent a hand... Director Fernando Meirelles scored an unexpected hit with his disquieting 2003 feature CITY OF GOD. Subsequent years saw plenty of similar fare emerging from Brazil, and Meirelles even lent a hand by contributing to the hit TV show CITY OF MEN. This big-screen adaptation of the show follows its two central characters, best friends Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha), as they are unwittingly caught up in a vicious gang war in their dilapidated favela. Ace struggles with his newfound responsibilities as a young father while Wallace searches for his errant father. Meanwhile, a brutal turf war breaks out around them, and Ace is reluctantly swept up into one of the gangs after threats on his life leave him with little choice but to join in the mayhem. Paulo Morelli's film is a pacy, bloody thriller that pays warm tribute to a diverse cross-section of American directors including Quentin Tarantino and Michael Bay. Bullets zing across the screen, heavy artillery is deployed at all times, and Morelli makes great use of the twisty favela streets during some frantic chase sequence. Silva and Cunha, who both had roles in CITY OF GOD, carry the picture with impressive ease, and while CITY OF MEN isn't an official sequel to Meirelles's lauded picture, it does serve as a neat continuation of that film's unshakable portrayal of the violence that has beset so many young lives in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. [More]

Starring: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Rodrigo Dos Santos

Starring: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Rodrigo Dos Santos, Camila Monteiro, Naíma Silva, Eduardo BR, Luciano Vidigal, Vitor Oliveira, Vinicius Oliveira

Director: Paulo Morelli

Director: Paulo Morelli
Screenwriter: Elena Soarez
Story: Paulo Morelli, Elena Soarez
Producer: Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles, Paulo Morelli
Composer: Antonio Pinto
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Jul 1, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • In this long-awaited follow-up to his Academy Award(R)-nominated film CITY OF GOD (2003, Best Director, Fernando Meirelles), producer Fernando Meirelles returns to the Brazilian favelas to tell an inspiring tale of friendship and family on the gritty streets of Rio de Janiero. Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their eighteenth birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met, while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shard past. Featuring stunning cinematography and a fascinating behind-the-scenes bonus feature, CITY OF MEN is an even greater experience on DVD.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for City of Men

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    1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    04/23/09
    Tom Meek
    Tom Meek
    Boston Phoenix

    It's decent enough but I just wish that it tried for something a little more fresh.

    Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
    07/22/08
    Austin Kennedy
    Austin Kennedy
    Sin Magazine

    Perhaps it's unfair to consider Morelli's film against Meirelles': You might as well compare a company newsletter to Candide.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    02/28/08
    Chris Cabin
    Chris Cabin
    Filmcritic.com

    By now, it's safe to say that the House of Meirelles is as chic as Chanel's.

    Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
    02/24/08
    Ed Gonzalez
    Ed Gonzalez
    Slant Magazine

    May mean well, but its soapy plot and comparatively flabby execution make for a surprisingly tepid combination.

    Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
    03/02/08
    Frank Swietek
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion

    Paulo Morelli mines old territory in yet another ode to Rio's vivid favelas.

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    02/27/08
    Jeanne Aufmuth
    Jeanne Aufmuth
    Palo Alto Weekly

    Morelli's film is most effective at its most documentarian, when it focuses on street detail and the casual, everyday behavior of the people inside the desperate favelas.

    Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
    03/07/08
    John Beifuss
    John Beifuss
    Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

    Despite considerable dramatic interest, Morelli's loose, lengthy structure makes it a labor to hang in with.

    Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
    07/05/08
    Jules Brenner
    Jules Brenner
    Cinema Signals

    City of Men is an intriguing but incompletely developed heir to the far superior City of God.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Marjorie Baumgarten
    Austin Chronicle

    [C]ompared to City of God and the TV series [it's] disappointingly conventional...

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher

    [One] plotline ends with a twist that doubtless felt more authentic in the halls of a film school than it would on the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

    Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
    03/16/08
    Matt Brunson
    Matt Brunson
    Creative Loafing

    Imagine City of God by way of One Tree Hill and you got yourself City of Men.

    Full Review Source: Bronsonfive | comment Comment
    02/20/08
    Michael Ferraro
    Michael Ferraro
    Bronsonfive

    There isn't enough heft to the protagonists. City of Men tries to flesh out the victims of harsh favela life, but too often they register as scurrying figures in a human ant farm.

    Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    Michael Sragow
    Michael Sragow
    Baltimore Sun

    Despite its sincerity -- and the beautiful visuals -- the often-disjointed story takes too long to gain traction.

    Full Review Source: Times-Picayune | comment Comment
    09/04/09
    Mike Scott
    Mike Scott
    Times-Picayune

    Utilizes its slum locale not for inquisitive sociological inquiry but blah melodrama and stereotypical gangster histrionics.

    Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
    02/26/08
    Nick Schager
    Nick Schager
    Lessons of Darkness

    Along comes a sequel of sorts, City of Men, but the difference is clear right from the first frame: Meirelles is gone and so is the intensity. What's left is a mix of credible sociology and tired melodrama, along with a palpable sense of déjà vu.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    Rick Groen
    Rick Groen
    Globe and Mail

    An efficient, simply told story...in spite of the plot's neat contrivances and the movie's determination to pull some edifying nugget from the heartbreak and hopelessness at its core.

    Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
    03/12/08
    Thomas Peyser
    Thomas Peyser
    Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

    Performances are up to par, but the story unfolds conventionally -- it lacks the fragmented fury of its predecessor. You might call it City of God Lite.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    V.A. Musetto
    V.A. Musetto
    New York Post

    Where City of God was ferocious, grandiose, and glamorous, this movie is modest and intimate, acoustic where the other was desperate to electrify.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    02/29/08
    Wesley Morris
    Wesley Morris
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's all perfectly serviceable -- but it wants for freshness and vitality.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Xan Brooks
    Xan Brooks
    Guardian [UK]
     
     
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    Latest News for City of Men

    February 28, 2008: Exclusive Photos: City of God Sequel City of Men
    Two young men struggle to stay afloat amid the drugs, violence, and poverty of Brazil's slums in the big-screen spin-off of Fernando Meirelles' critically acclaimed 2002 film,... More...

    February 28, 2008: Critics Consensus: Semi-Pro is Semi-Good, Boleyn Girl Not Quite Movie Royalty
    This week at the movies, we've got hapless hoopsters, snouted socialites, and scandalous siblings. What do the critics have to say? More...

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