Movie Review: City Of Men

Set in balmy Rio, City of Men delves deep into the lives of two boyhood friends: Ace and Laranjinha. These 20-year-olds live in the favellas (slums) ringing gorgeous Rio de Janeiro, the world’s most beautiful naturally set city.

Paradise to these guys comes with a price: both live under the rule of local drug lords obsessed with hanging onto some choice real estate, the population below be damned.

Director/writer Paulo Morelli wisely continues the story relating to these two pivotal characters brought forth in City of God. Here we see just how important family plays in the lives of each as both go on a quest to find their fathers.

Caught in between this trip down memory lane are bloody conflicts with rival gangs out to feather their own nests. Guns come out often in this violent yet poignant story of two decent men from the slums trying to co-exist among a rapidly deteriorating neighbourhood.

Effective contrasts of the rich beach sands and the tough slum roads make City of Men pretty gritty and engaging fare. Fans of North American based mobsters are sure to like the way folks in the Brazilian ghettos settle scores.

Strong acting by Douglas Silva as the married and maligned Ace alongside Darlan Cunha’s effective portrayal of best friend Laranjinha sets a nice tone of loyalty amidst the chaos. Violence reminiscent of Al Pacino’s branded Tony Montana from Scarface gets good coverage from Jonathan Haagensen as bad guy Madrugadao.

Bullets fly fast, furious and often in this slice of Latin life that brings forth the sensual nature of the local flavour amongst the grimy slums and quest for brighter futures by way of force.

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