dragokin I've surfed the internet in search of more information on City of God (Cidade de Deus) which i'd really enjoyed back in the day. To my surprise, i've discovered that there had been a spin-off TV show, called City of Men (Cidade dos Homens). It's been difficult to find it, but it paid off! The TV show format set some limits to City of Men, yet gave it more freedom at the same time. Given the length of each episode, the story can't develop as in a feature film. On the other hand, it gave the show the possibility to follow and develop the characters in a way that no feature film would allow.The life in a favela is depicted in such a way that you wish to travel to Brazil only to visit one of them. However, this vivid depiction doesn't fail to show the hardships these people go through on daily basis. They all embrace life with south-American easygoing attitude which is bound to create chaos. And we see that it affects everyone, from drug lords (good or bad by nature) and police (corrupt or not) to people (from favela or elsewhere).The topics covered showed that the City of Men had also an educational role, discussing the problems of the poor an depraved. The fact that it's been filmed in real favelas and mostly with actual inhabitants, conveys the message even stronger.

pandacanon I myself am a huge fan of the original 'city of god' but was surprised to watch this spin off and find it very middle grounded. there are many differences between the two, most of them working negatively towards COM.In COG, the use of short, sharp editing and hand-held camera work gave the feeling of realism, the gritty surroundings of Rio were portrayed in a more convincing manner than they are in City of men.If you have an expectancy to view an insight into hoodlums' lives and actions you will most likely be let down overall, COM deals with the two main characters, both young and naive, it shows their schooling, their everyday chores instead of a real deep insight into crime.overall, it was not what i expected or even wanted, but if you liked city of god but found it maybe a wee too grim, city of men does water it down a level. the level of enjoyment does depend on what you want out of this mini series.in a nutshell; a soap opera but with violence 5/10 - not as crime based as i would of imagined,

Splattii When I saw the DVD set come out in the UK I had to pick it up. When it got here, I broke it open and popped it in the next day. I finished both seasons within 12 hours.I don't really know what to say other than see this now. If you liked City of God, you will not only like this series, but you'll love it. It's amazing. It could be the best mini series I've ever seen.I used to brag to people about a film called "Cidade Des Dues" before it was widely known. People now seem to have embraced the film and given it the respect it deserves. I will now spread the word of the amazing mini-series.I can't emphasize enough how good this was. I paid 15 euro's shipped to my door, and I would have paid more than double after seeing it.

rodrigodavies Cidade dos Homens is Meirelles' return to the domestic television audience after the international success of Cidade de Deus, a film he admits he did not intend for exposure outside Brazil. Turning to the domestic arena with a slightly more altruistic/socio-political agenda, Meirelles is perhaps not as 'punchy' a director as he was in the original feature but is taking on a much more challenging topic. The series, rather than purely the mini-feature, is helping to break some ground in the nation's film and television industry and is certainly worth a look.