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City of Men

Play trailer Poster for City of Men R Released Feb 29, 2008 1h 45m Drama Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 80 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Childhood friends Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha) are both approaching their 18th birthdays. Ace struggles to raise his son alone after the mother takes a job in Sao Paulo, while Wallace embarks on a search for his long-missing father (Rodrigo dos Santos), whom he eventually finds having just finished serving 15 years in prison. Newly discovered secrets about the past will test Ace and Wallace's friendship as they find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war.
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City of Men

City of Men

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Holcomb Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Xan Brooks Guardian It's all perfectly serviceable -- but it wants for freshness and vitality. Rated: 2/5 Oct 18, 2008 Full Review Ian Freer Empire Magazine The likable performances, hot, sweaty atmosphere and decently mounted action scenes make this entertaining fare. Rated: 3/5 Jul 18, 2008 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The location is still just as tragic and absorbing, but the story often wanders into the realm of generic action flicks. Rated: 3/10 Nov 28, 2020 Full Review Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine The actors are strong, the sense of location is vividly authentic, but the script is disjointed. Nov 30, 2017 Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) City of Men does not have that piercing naturalistic horror and drive of its predecessor. But it stands on its own as a chronicle of enduring friendship in impossibly horrid circumstances. Apr 13, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dave S Five years after the fantastic City of God comes the follow-up, City of Men. Like its predecessor, it is set in the slums of Rio de Janeiro and follows the day-to-day gang violence that ravages the community. This time around, the story of friendship and survival focuses on two young men as they try to make sense of the madness that surrounds them. With the assistance of his friend Ace, Wallace searches for the identity of his birth father, a career criminal who has recently been released from prison for a murder he committed fifteen years earlier. While the film's style may be off-putting to some (it's filled with hyper-active handheld camerawork and rapid-fire editing), it certainly suits the chaotic atmosphere of the movie. City of Men, like City of God, is also filled with naturalistic performances from a primarily non-professional cast of actors. For those who loved the original, City of Men is a must-see. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Muito emocionante e intenso. Excelente relação entre os personagens principais, amo demais! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Emotional portrait of how it is to grow up in Rio's favelas. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A look at life in the streets of Rio de Janeiro is gritty but not always engaging. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member A bit too melodramatic and it will unfortunately be compared to the much superior City of God. When it focuses a bit more on the gang and poverty aspects it is a much more interesting movie, but the movie gets bogged down early by an uninteresting plot involving two kids and their dads. While the cinematography is still nice, this movie is just no City of God. It's hard to get into because the first half hour or so is just so uninteresting. Even now I can't remember some of the characters names or how they related to each other. The ending is also way too ridiculous and almost like something out of a soap opera. Why the one friend would shoot his other friend or even think of doing so was just so unlikely and made the Ace character far less likable (and because of his neglect for his son and constant whining it already was difficult to like him). Still, it's a decent watch for those who are huge fans of City of God. It's like revisiting the same place, only it's not as memorable as the first time. If you haven't seen City of God, go watch that first. If you have seen it and you want to see more, then this isn't so bad. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member It's almost impossible to follow its predecessor, "City of God," which was essentially a perfect 10. City of Men is similar in its beautiful direction, cinematography, and violence but lacks the same punch in terms of storyline and character development. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Childhood friends Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha) are both approaching their 18th birthdays. Ace struggles to raise his son alone after the mother takes a job in Sao Paulo, while Wallace embarks on a search for his long-missing father (Rodrigo dos Santos), whom he eventually finds having just finished serving 15 years in prison. Newly discovered secrets about the past will test Ace and Wallace's friendship as they find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war.
Director
Paulo Morelli
Producer
Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles, Paulo Morelli, Natalia Bruscky, Sabrina García
Screenwriter
Elena Soarez
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
20th Century Fox, O2 Filmes, Globo Filmes
Rating
R (Some Sexuality|Language|Violent Content)
Genre
Drama, Crime
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 29, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$307.1K
Runtime
1h 45m
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