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City Of Men (2008) DVD Review
City Of Men (2008) DVD Credits:
City Of Men (2008) Directed by:
Paulo Morelli
City Of Men (2008) Written by:
Elena Soarez
City Of Men (2008) Cast:
Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Rodrigo dos Santos
City Of Men (2008) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
City Of Men (2008) DVD Release Date:
30th June 2008
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City Of Men (2008) Synopsis:

In "City of Men," producer Fernando Meirelles ("The Constant Gardner") returns to the Brazilian favelas of his Academy Award-nominated film, "City of God." Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their eighteenth 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.

City Of Men (2008) DVD Review:

City of Men follows the Brazilian television show with the same title, using many of the same actors and is directed by Paolo Morelli, who also directed some of the episodes from the show. City of Men is also produced by Fernando Meirelles, whose City of God first brought the street life in the violent Brazilian favelas to screen. Both are similar tales of the forever surging power in these dangerous streets. The gangs rule the land and the police are paid off to ignore the constant battles. Fans of the television show might find the speedy pace of the film unsettling, especially when plot development moves on and situations fall conveniently into place. Unfortunately this is the necessary change from television to film, but certainly doesn’t detract enough to make the film any less engaging and satisfying.

City of Men follows two friends who have grown up in the dangerous streets and somehow managed to stay away from the violence. Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darius Cunha) are more than just friends, theyare brothers to each other. Ace has married and now has a child even though they both are only about eighteen, but even with their close connections to family members in the gang, neither is tempted to enter the world of violence.

Although the gangs are certainly doing some criminal activity aside from killing each other, this isn’t really seen. Instead of money or possessions, they are simply fighting for the land, which gives them the power. It is a sick and twisted game of king of the hill, and each gang wants to be at the top. When a few of the men decide to take down their own boss, they switch sides and lead an attack on the hill to take it back. This appears a common occurrence, as every citizen knows to enter the shops which all close for the fight to finish. While this power-play is going on between the gangs, the two friends are having their own problems. Each discovers the history and the truth about their fathers, one dead and the other recently released from prison. This new knowledge changes the kind of man that they decide they will be, possibly drawing them closer to the violence.

The DVD contains a featurette, “Building a City of Men”.

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City Of Men (2008) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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