Review of City of Men (2007) by Vmedia Berkeley Ca. S — 10 Mar 2008

This one of the best from late in 07.

One wouldn't expect Shakespeare, O'Neill and Francis Ford Coppola to be echoing around the ramshackle hillsides of Rio de Janeiro, but then one doesn't really expect "City of Men" either. The ostensible, sort-of sequel to 2002's "City of God" tells a multilayered story coherently, with propulsive action and a naturalistic nod to the fact that so much of the world is a violent place.

The world created by director Paolo Morelli (taking the reins from "City of God" director, and "City of Men's" co-producer, Fernando Meirelles) may in fact be more benign than reality, but it's harrowing enough. Guns are everywhere, as is a blithe resignation to death. Elena Soarez's screenplay deftly balances the moral chaos of the gang life with two boys desiring to do the right thing, either by reuniting with a father or by being a good one.

The epic battle waiting to erupt will do so between the forces of Midnight and those of Fasto (rapper Eduardo BR), who has his own issues with patriarchy. As in any successful epic, the action is shored up by frail humanity, misunderstanding, inadvertent betrayal and pride: Ace becomes a target of Fasto's wrath, not by his own action, but by Wallace's; Wallace, in turn, discovers a mutual fact about their respective fathers.

So much emotional traffic streams through this "City of Men" that it's easy to miss a narrative turnoff. You won't get lost, but your sense of direction might be profoundly changed.

This is great story telling and film making.