City of Men (2007)
"Cidade dos Homens" (original title)

Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas.

Director:

Paulo Morelli

Writers:

Elena Soarez (screenplay), Paulo Morelli (story),

Stars:

Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Jonathan Haagensen

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Douglas Silva	...	Acerola
Darlan Cunha	...	Laranjinha
Jonathan Haagensen	...	Madrugadão
Rodrigo dos Santos	...	Heraldo
Camila Monteiro	...	Cris
Naima Silva	...	Camila
Eduardo 'BR' Piranha	...	Nefasto (as Eduardo BR)
Luciano Vidigal	...	Fiel
Pedro Henrique	...	Caju
Vítor Oliveira	...	Clayton
Vinícius Oliveira	...	Clayton
Rafaela Santos	...	Bela da Madrugadao
Fábio Lago	...	Ceara
Claudio Jaborandy	...	Complice de Heraldo
Babu Santana	...	Drug lord from Morro do Careca

Storyline

In the slum in Morro da Sinuca, a couple of days before turning eighteen year-old, Laranjinha tells his best friend and also orphan Acerola that he misses his unknown father. Acerola decides to help his needy friend to find his father and they discover that he is in prison convicted for killing a man during a robbery and near to be released on parole. Meanwhile, Acerola's wife and babysitter Cris is invited to work in São Paulo and she sees the chance to raise money to buy a house of her own; she tells Acerola that he must take care of their son Clayton alone for one year. When the owner of the hill and Laranjinha's cousin Madrugadão is betrayed by his right-hand Nefasto, he is expelled from the slum and Laranjinha and Acerola have also to leave the hill. While Madrugadão plots a plan to invade and recover the hill with the support of the gang of the drug lord from Morro do Careca, Acerola and Laranjinha unravel the past of their fathers.

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Plot Keywords:

gang | prison | missing father | parole | favela | 

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Taglines:

An unforgettable tale of friendship and survival in a city where the greatest challenge is growing up.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] MK2 [fr]

Country:

Brazil

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

31 August 2007 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

City of Men

Filming Locations:

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$130,579 (USA) (29 February 2008)

Gross:

$307,076 (USA) (14 March 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Filmes do Brasil, Globo Filmes, O2 Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Camila is showing Wallace her hair and telling him where Ace is, a leg of the tripod holding the close up camera is visible on the right side in the wide shot of them.

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Connections

Features City of Men: Os Ordinários (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Flor E O Espinho"
(uncredited)
Written by Nelson Cavaquinho, Guilherme de Brito and Alcides Caminha
Originally recorded by Paulinho Mosca
Sung by Rodrigo dos Santos (Heraldo) in the shower

User Reviews

Excellent Continuation of the TV Series, but not as good as 'God'

The film City of Men is a fantastic Brazilian film. It's directed by the same creator of City of God and the City of Men TV series. Now, personally, I recommend you watch the TV series before watching the movie due to many flashbacks throughout the film. The TV series also adds more depth to the characters that add to the overall enjoyment of the film. The film is still set in the favelas in Rio, but instead of focusing on the gangs as in City of God, it focuses on two 18 year old boys. The film is similar to City of God, but with a more light-hearted feel to it. The film also has similar cinematography. Overall, I prefer City of God to this film, but it is a worthy follow up to a fantastic film. 9 stars out of 10 in relation to City of God, but as a film in general, compared to the majority of films created this would deserve 10 stars.