mitsubishizero While not as great as City of God, City of Men is a good movie in its own right which's rare because usually sequels are terrible in some way or form. It's more of a spiritual sequel as none of the characters from the previous movie appear. Certain scenes lag on while others move the action and story. The acting's great, the story's gripping and the music captures the mood and feel of Brazil. I'd suggest you see for yourself.

paul2001sw-1 'City of God' was a visceral epic, a tale of the slummification of a Brazillian new suburb and the consequences of this story for the lives of those who lived there. 'City of Men' is a loose sort of follow up, with a different director, and it's a lesser film, without Fernando Meirelles' scintillating direction. More than anything else, the story suffers because its protagonists are so clearly innocents caught up in events beyond their control; while it's still an effective portrayal of the harshness of life in the favella, it lacks the sense of individual responsibility that is usually a necessary part of the most powerful drama. Which is not to say that it's a bad film, making good use of the dramatic setting of Rio de Janeiro, and conveying well not just the brutality, but also the fragility, of a life lived at the margins.

Mike B Quite an interesting movie - filmed in an almost 'cinema-verite' style. It is extremely authentic. The slums (or favelas of Rio), the dialogue, the gang members, the innocent by-standers are all depicted with a reality, that if it were not for the poverty, grimness and violence, would be considered refreshing. From that point of view it is much like 'City of God' but less nihilistic and the focus in this movie only centers on Rio de Janeiro. There is a positive out-look in that both the central characters are concerned with fatherhood; one is already a father and both do not know their real fathers (although this changes during the film). This creates a counter-balance to the slum and gang warfare. It took me awhile to understand or pick up on the storyline – one must pay close attention during the first 30-40 minutes to the characters and dialogue. I realized after, when I watched the DVD out-takes, that this was based on a TV series so that may be a reason for those difficulties.

lastliberal Amidst poverty, racism, drugs, guns and violence, the absence of schools, hospitals, formal employment or government assistance, life in Rio's favelas is a constant challenge.Here, we watch two young men grow up fatherless. Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) is trying to find his father as he turns 18 so that his name can be on his identity papers. Acerola (Douglas Silva), his best friend, is dealing with his own fatherhood. He has to care for his son while his wife goes to work in another city as a babysitter so they can get a house.While Wallace (Laranjinha) is dealing with his father, who was recently released from prison, Ace (Acerola) is mixed up in a battle over turf on the hill. They find that their fathers are intertwined, and there are some tense moments when the two deal with their friendship.The cinematography was beautiful and the sound during the gun battles was excellent. It seemed more like a war zone than a city, but that is a fact of life for the millions who live there.