Paulo Morelli's feature lacks the visceral punch and epic sweep of Meirelles's searing look at life in the gang-ridden favelas of Rio. But it's lighter, funnier and violent, and it's not entirely without hope.
Comment
02/29/08
City of Men (2008)
75
%
Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Rodrigo Dos Santos
Director: Paulo Morelli
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Reviews for City of Men
While Men is not as energetic or bracing as God, it is a disturbing exploration of violent drug culture in Rio's shantytowns. It's also a poignant look at the legacies of fathers who abdicate their responsibilities.
02/29/08
This is an engrossing film, partly because the director pulls the camera back from time to time to mitigate the occasional effect of claustrophobia and to remind the audiencehow stunning the landscape is.
02/29/08
[C]ompared to City of God and the TV series [it's] disappointingly conventional...
02/29/08
City of Men is a rootin’-tootin’ gangster movie shot in the notoriously lawless shantytowns overlooking the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
02/29/08
Top CriticThe caliber of this picture’s writing, directing and acting, along with the clear chances the filmmakers are willing to take, should not be understated.
02/29/08
Similar to City of God, though on a slightly lesser scale, City of Men presents a plot that is equally tragic and exciting.
02/29/08
Brazil's Boyz n the Hood.
02/29/08
City of Men is a nerve-racking, strangely beautiful story that balances ambiguity in one hand and hope in the other.
02/29/08
It's not the gangsters we're interested in this time around, and gunfire just feels awkward in the midst of a more conventional example of world cinema.
02/29/08
The plight of the people in the hard-hitting Brazilian film City of Men is akin with its plight to make you aware it even exists.
02/28/08
Works pretty well as melodrama against a legitimately dramatic backdrop.
02/28/08
Perhaps it's unfair to consider Morelli's film against Meirelles': You might as well compare a company newsletter to Candide.
02/28/08
When movies venture into the ghetto, it is usually from an outsider's point of view. City of Men, set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, is different.
02/28/08
City Of Men has its share of problems, but being too entertaining isn't one of them. The film isn't bad by any means, but after God's adrenaline-shots-to-the-heart rush, the laid-back storytelling comes off as a little sleepy.
02/28/08
For those like me, walking into a theater with only God in my back pocket, the experience might not be as sweet, but still remains artistically and emotionally rewarding.
02/28/08
A gripping companion piece to the Oscar-nominated 2002 gangster masterpiece City of God.
02/28/08
Shot in a gritty, kinetic style that captures the colorful squalor of a neighborhood dubbed Dead-End Hill, City of Men is in many ways a more satisfying piece of storytelling than City of God.
02/28/08
Despite its contrivances and flashiness, City of Men somehow wins you over with its steady, underlying flow of intimacy and compassion.
02/28/08
Top CriticThe new picture, directed by Paulo Morelli, does not try to compete with the dizzying visual gyrations and propulsive, nearly maniacal energy of the previous one, which was directed by Fernando Meirelles.
02/28/08
Top CriticLatest 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...
November 23, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
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