Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Carandiru

R Released Mar 21, 2003 2h 28m Drama Crime List
67% Tomatometer 82 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A doctor (Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) listens to inmates' stories as he tests them for HIV in a dangerously overcrowded Brazilian prison.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Carandiru

Carandiru

What to Know

Critics Consensus

A gritty, poignant, and shocking prison movie.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (82) Critics Reviews
Will Self London Evening Standard We know the massacre is going to happen from the off, and yet, despite this, the tension doesn't build much, perhaps because the film is over-long. Jan 9, 2018 Full Review Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel We're served up meaty, often spicy, slices of sadly wasted lives. Rated: 4/5 Aug 13, 2004 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle It has the resonant feel of myth, buoyed by simultaneously vicious and compassionate performances from the men on both sides of the bars. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 1, 2004 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix If you enjoyed epic Brazilian crime dramas such as “City of God”, “Pixote”, and the “Elite Squad” films, I urge you to seek out this underappreciated film from one of Brazil’s most renowned directors. Sep 23, 2022 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com "Carandiru" is a soulful movie that eschews glamour and formula to present a thoughtful meditation on an endemic prison reality that reaches far beyond the confines of the richest city in South America. Rated: A- Jun 14, 2009 Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts Carandiru could have been a great prison drama, but it mixed its genres so thoroughly in an attempt to make it entertaining and accessible that I felt it lost its bite. Rated: B Jun 21, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (352) audience reviews
Arthur M It's arguably one of THE best prison movies ever made, and its very sad so many people never get to saw it. It's very raw and gruesome at some points, but also very empathic and sensible, delivering one of the most realistic representations of a prison's everyday life. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review Yuri S Um soco no estômago. A realidade do sistema prisional brasileiro que culmina num dos maiores massacres da história. Hector Babenco traz uma verdadeira obra-prima inspirada no livro do doutor Drauzio Varella, que nos prende com os depoimentos de presidiários bem como suas próprias experiências no lugar. Quente, intenso, violento e arrebatador, Carandiru se mantém, até hoje, extremamente relevante e no topo das maiores produções brasileiras. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/15/24 Full Review Rykelme P Esse filme nos trás uma pequena amostra de como se culminou aquele 2 de outubro de 1992. Com personagens repletos de complexidade e excelentes atuações, Carandiru nos apresenta ao mundo carcerário brasileiro e a forma com que as vidas são tratadas pelos governantes. Além disso, faz-nos refletir sobre o preconceito aos carcerários ao pensarmos que todos merecem o pior. Um ótimo filme brasileiro. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/21/23 Full Review Ana C Agonizing, sad, desperate. A masterpiece Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/02/23 Full Review dave s Hector Babenco's Carandiru documents the events leading to the slaughter of over one-hundred inmates at a horribly overcrowded prison located in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 1992. While the final half-hour is a graphic depiction of the mass killing at the hands of the police, what makes Carandiru so effective is the two hours prior to the climax, where Babenco puts a human face on many of the hardened criminals, not exonerating them from their horrific crimes but simply showing them as deeply flawed but human nonetheless. It is a tough film to watch at times, graphic and bloody, filled with random violence motivated by nothing more than a misguided sense of justice. While the cast of characters is expansive to the point where it may be difficult to keep track of specific relationships, Carandiru is still one of the finest prison dramas that you'll ever see. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Lanngeax . Cinematography is its greatest strength. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/08/20 Full Review Read all reviews
Carandiru

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

City of God 91% 97% City of God City of Men 74% 78% City of Men Man on Fire 39% 89% Man on Fire TRAILER for Man on Fire Criminal 69% 57% Criminal Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A doctor (Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) listens to inmates' stories as he tests them for HIV in a dangerously overcrowded Brazilian prison.
Director
Hector Babenco
Producer
Flávio R. Tambellini, Hector Babenco, Óscar Kramer, Rui Pires
Screenwriter
Hector Babenco, Victor Navas, Fernando Bonassi, Drauzio Varella
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Lereby, Oscar Kramer S.A., Br Petrobas, HB Filmes, Columbia TriStar Filmes do Brasil, Globo Filmes
Rating
R (Drug Use|Carnage|Language|Sexuality|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre
Drama, Crime
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 21, 2003, Original
Box Office (Gross USA)
$214.0K
Runtime
2h 28m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, Surround
Most Popular at Home Now