SummaryGrowing up in a culture dictated by violence, as well as street gangs, teenagers Acerola and Laranjinha have become close as brothers. With their 18th birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met, while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a ga... Read More
Directed By:Paulo Morelli
Written By:Elena Soarez, Roberto Moreira, Paulo Morelli, Bráulio Mantovani
City of Men
Metascore
Generally Favorable
63
User score
Generally Favorable
6.9
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
32% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
88
In many ways, City of Men is like a Portuguese-language version of David Simon's "The Wire."
75
A poignant look at the legacies of fathers who abdicate their responsibilities.
70
Some might perceive City of Men as a slow film, while others could reasonably argue that Morelli is taking more time to develop characters.
67
Intriguing.
63
A mix of credible sociology and tired melodrama, along with a palpable sense of déjà vu. Because the plight of boyz 'n' the hood is a global tragedy, its depiction on the screen has become a global commonplace with its own attendant danger – the tragedy is starting to feel trite.
60
City of Men is clunky and often contrived, but there’s something haunting about fatherless boys in a blighted place fumbling to teach themselves what it means to be a man.
50
Performances are up to par, but the story unfolds conventionally - it lacks the fragmented fury of its predecessor. You might call it "City of God Lite."
User score
Generally Favorable
71% Positive
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
21% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
7% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Jan 3, 2016
6
"Citade de Deus" ("City of God") was a Brazilian masterpiece telling the story about the gang wars in the Brazilian favelas (slums) during the '70s from the perspective of a boy who wants to become a journalist. Based on a true story, it gives you a quite realistic impression of what it was like to live back then in one of the most dangerous places on earth. After the success of "Citade de Deus", Kátia Lund and Fernando Meirelles, (the directors) created a series called "Cidade dos Homens" ("City of God") based on the same concept taking place in the present which in 2007 was turned into another feature length film with the same title. As I haven't seen the series I cannot judge it, but the film "Cidade dos Homens" was not nearly as good as the first. Telling the story of two friends growing up in the Rio favelas, the film starts out real slow and never manages to become nearly as compelling as "Citade de Deus" was. Certainly, the fighting between the two rivaling gangs is exciting to watch but this only but a small part of the film and the rest of it consists of little more than the two friends trying to survive and maintain their friendship. There is little depth in any of the other characters and this makes the film fairly pointless to watch for anyone who's already seen "Citade de Deus". While not a bad film by any standards, but it's by no means better than mediocre either. I expected more from the people who brought us "Citade de Deus". Was this a cheap attempt to get some easy money?!?
Production Company:
- 20th Century Fox
- Globo Filmes
- O2 Filmes
- Petrobrás
Release Date:Feb 29, 2008
Duration:1 h 46 m
Rating:R
Tagline:An unforgettable tale of friendship and survival in a city where the greatest challenge is growing up.
Awards
Prêmio Guarani
• 8 Nominations
Prêmio Qualidade, Brazil
• 2 Nominations
Prêmio Contigo Cinema, Brazil
• 2 Nominations
