Review of City of Men (2007) by Morgaine M — 11 Feb 2009

First things first, this is not a sequel to City of God. This is based on the television series with the same name (which I would recommend watching before watching this movie). That television series was created by the directors of City of God, and the director of the City of Men movie helped out on that TV series. The City of Men series does share some actors with City of God, but beyond some common actors, directors, and producers, the two are totally separate.

That being said, if you're expecting another City of God, you might be disappointed. Whereas City of God focused heavily on the drug trade, City of Men was more about the actual people in the favella. The gang violence does serve as a backdrop in the City of Men movie, but the main focus is on the dynamic between Acerola and Laranjinha (sorry, I like that better than Uolace), and the father-son relationships (between Laranjinha and his father; and Acerola and his son).