Watch a brand new clip of director Fernando Meirelles discusses the recently DVD release “City of Men,” the long-awaited follow-up to his Academy Award-nominated film “City Of God.” The film stars Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha and Jonathan Haagensen. Plot: Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola and Laranjinha have become as 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 gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shared past.
- 7/11/2008
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
A spin-off of the Brazilian television series that was itself derived from Fernando Meirelles' 2002 Art House hit "City of God", this film directed by longtime Meirelles collaborator Paulo Morelli similarly explores the sex- and violence-drenched lives of those living in the slums, or favelas, of Rio de Janeiro.
"City of Men" revolves around two of the central characters from the series, Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha). Both approaching their 18th birthday, the best friends are coping with separate crises: the former is struggling to raise the young son he sired far too early, while the latter is desperate to track down the father he never knew. When Ace discovers the identity of his own father's killer and Wallace finally reconnects with his dad, a hardened ex-con who has skipped out on his parole, it sets off emotional repercussions affecting their friendship, as does a local gang war involving Wallace's cousin in which they find themselves on opposite sides.
Less hyperkinetic and more character driven than its predecessor, "City of Men" ultimately is not fully involving enough to sustain interest, though it offers plenty of undeniably pungent atmosphere along the way. From the rickety shantytowns perched in the hills to the sun-drenched beaches to the music clubs throbbing with loud dance music, the film delivers a visceral sense of its milieu, with the hand-held cinematography matching the restless energy of the characters on display.
Elena Soarez's screenplay blends melodrama, comedy and violence to sometimes awkward effect, but director Morelli keeps the pacing fast enough to compensate for the stylistic inconsistencies. And the youthful cast delivers terrifically naturalistic and convincing performances that provide the proceedings with an emotional immediacy not always evident in the script.
CITY OF MEN
Miramax
Fox Film, Globo Filmes, O2 Filmes
Credits:
Director: Paulo Morelli
Producers: Paulo Morelli, Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles: Executive producer: Mariza Figueiredo
Director of photography: Adriano Goldman
Production designer: Rafael Ronconi
Music: Antonio Pinto
Costume designer: Ines Salgado
Editor: Daniel Rezende
Cast:
Wallace: Darlan Cunha
Ace: Douglas Silva
Madrugadao: Jonathan Haagensen
Nefasto: Eduardo BR
Heraldo: Rodrigo dos Santos
Cristiane: Camila Monteiro
Camila: Naima Silva
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
"City of Men" revolves around two of the central characters from the series, Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha). Both approaching their 18th birthday, the best friends are coping with separate crises: the former is struggling to raise the young son he sired far too early, while the latter is desperate to track down the father he never knew. When Ace discovers the identity of his own father's killer and Wallace finally reconnects with his dad, a hardened ex-con who has skipped out on his parole, it sets off emotional repercussions affecting their friendship, as does a local gang war involving Wallace's cousin in which they find themselves on opposite sides.
Less hyperkinetic and more character driven than its predecessor, "City of Men" ultimately is not fully involving enough to sustain interest, though it offers plenty of undeniably pungent atmosphere along the way. From the rickety shantytowns perched in the hills to the sun-drenched beaches to the music clubs throbbing with loud dance music, the film delivers a visceral sense of its milieu, with the hand-held cinematography matching the restless energy of the characters on display.
Elena Soarez's screenplay blends melodrama, comedy and violence to sometimes awkward effect, but director Morelli keeps the pacing fast enough to compensate for the stylistic inconsistencies. And the youthful cast delivers terrifically naturalistic and convincing performances that provide the proceedings with an emotional immediacy not always evident in the script.
CITY OF MEN
Miramax
Fox Film, Globo Filmes, O2 Filmes
Credits:
Director: Paulo Morelli
Producers: Paulo Morelli, Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles: Executive producer: Mariza Figueiredo
Director of photography: Adriano Goldman
Production designer: Rafael Ronconi
Music: Antonio Pinto
Costume designer: Ines Salgado
Editor: Daniel Rezende
Cast:
Wallace: Darlan Cunha
Ace: Douglas Silva
Madrugadao: Jonathan Haagensen
Nefasto: Eduardo BR
Heraldo: Rodrigo dos Santos
Cristiane: Camila Monteiro
Camila: Naima Silva
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 2/29/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Who knew that Fernando Meirelles' Cidade De Deus (City of God) would evolve into the tragi-series that it has become. God was as we all remember a masterwork from Brazil and it then spawned a television series in 2004 going by the same title as the proposed sequel that is being released this coming leap day (February 29th). I caught City of Men earlier last week (see review Friday) and was reintroduced to the same blistering sun, a distinctly different geographical playground for crime and corruption, but this time in the hands of the writer/director Paulo Morelli (who came onboard this project back when it was the television show - directing and writer several episodes). Miramax Films has provided us with a pair of stills (click on the pics for a larger image). The top image details the king of the hill setting, a sort of perching point
- 2/25/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- #90.City of Men Director: Paulo MorelliScreenplay: Elena SoarezProducers: Andrea Barata Ribeiro, Bel Berlinck, Fernando Meirelles and Morelli Distributor: Miramax Films The Gist: Scripted by Elena Soarez, turning 18 is a highly-charged moment for anyone but when you’ve grown up in the slum of Pool Hall Hill crammed into Rio de Janeiro’s hillside where life is cheap and prospects are minimal, coming of age has its added tribulations. Wallace (Darlan Cunha) and Acerola (Douglas Silva) are inseparable childhood friends and closer than brothers. Fact: Cidade De Deus (City of God) has produced a spin-off television show and of course, this sequel. See It: The explosive original film was an Ioncinema.com top film of the year - I'm not sure about you people, but this is perhaps the most anticipated "sequel" this year. Release Date/Status?: Miramax Films releases this in limited theaters on February 29th. ...
- 1/28/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- When Cidade De Deus burst onto the world cinema scene it propelled Fernando Meirelles into filmmaking stardom (he has since worked on The Constant Gardener and will preem Blindness sometime next year) and it spawned a television series (which in turn has birthed a new film).Since January is a month that is generally filled with plenty of holiday films and Oscar bait leftovers, I question whether a Jan.18th slot is the right approach - but looking back to 2003 I realized that the first film was release almost on the exact same day, so regardless of the theater release-strategy that will be in use, I'm still keen on seeing the City of Men (view the trailer here) - its a sequel but not in a normal sequel type of way. Have the characters evolved into bigger thugs or has the violence mellowed down? Back in the game for a second outing,
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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