Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the main characters in this subtitled drama are young (some don't look older than 10), impoverished gangsters in Rio de Janeiro who commit frequent acts of bloody violence. Along with wrestling and fighting, there's shooting (with both handguns and automatic weapons), standoffs, and ambushes in the streets; one gang burns down a woman's house because she's related to an enemy. There are several sex scenes, but they're brief and blurry (movement is obvious, but nudity is muted). Girls wear bikinis on the beach, and boys comment on their looks. Language includes frequent uses of "f--k" and other profanity. Characters smoke cigarettes and marijuana and drink liquor.
Families can talk about the movie's messages. What is it saying about the criteria -- aside from chronology -- that make someone an adult? How do Wallace and Ace learn to be good "men"? Does the film offer hope that the friends can escape from the violence of their childhoods? Do you think that's an accurate reflection of real life?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha) have been best friends since childhood. When, at the start of CITY OF MEN, Wallace is about to turn 18, they embark on a journey of discovery, tracking down their fathers and confronting their violent legacies. At the same time, they're immersed in the gang warfare that plagues their slum as cousins clash and Wallace's new girlfriend, Camila (Naima Silva), worries about her brother's fate. Both boys have to make difficult choices, Wallace concerning his newfound father and Ace about his own toddler, left in his care when his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Cris (Camila Monteiro), leaves for Sao Paolo.
An affecting blend of action movie, coming-of-age tale, and family melodrama, City of Men is billed as a companion piece to Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund's brilliant, thrilling City of God, which was an art-house sensation when it came to the United States in 2002. The new film actually draws from characters developed in that film's inspiration, the mesmerizing, same-named Brazilian TV series -- which explains how City of Men is able to include scenes of Ace and Wallace as kids. These images show how their friendship has endured during years of bouncing around in impoverished neighborhoods where boys become men by wielding guns and claiming territory.
While Paulo Morelli's movie isn't as kinetic as City of God, it offers an equally fascinating look at kids' emotional lives and moral choices and their struggles to think beyond their apparent fates. Ace's anxieties about fathering are reflected in Wallace's reunion with his own dad; quickly enamored of the idea of having a father, Wallace imagines an existence apart from the gangs -- just as long-simmering tensions erupt into full-on street battles. The kids on the periphery, like Ace and Wallace, are trapped. Equipped with artillery and hand-drawn maps, the teams take over the alleys and rooftops as civilians hide. But for all its tragedy and brutality, City of Men is shaped by the uneven, difficult rhythms of fathers and sons and the boys' determination to connect across years of pain and legacies of revenge.
Similar movies include Boyz N the Hood, Menace II Society, and Hector Babenco's classic Pixote (1981).
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Sexual ContentWomen appear in bikinis and skimpy clothing (sometimes showing cleavage) on the beach and during street/rooftop parties. Brief blurry sex images in a bed (movement shown but figures not explicit). Ace has sex with various women at his workplace (he's a security guard); there are brief images of them on his lap and some kissing. Wallace flirts with his girlfriend; he also tells a story about a girl seducing him. |
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ViolenceViolence is both casual and explicit. Kids wrestle and fight in playful ways but also engage in brutal behavior that includes beatings, combat-style shootouts, and ambushes in the city streets (with automatic weapons, from rooftops, hiding in alleys), as well as point-blank shooting. Wounded victims are bloody. Repeated images of kids with guns. When Ace is given his first gun, he's excited -- then he witnesses a shootout and won't fire his weapon. A boy learns that his father shot a friend's father in the back. |
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LanguageMultiple uses of "f--k" (some with "mother"), "s--t," and "damn," as well as "hell," "prick," "p---y," and "ass" (some with "hole"). All language is in subtitles. |
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Social BehaviorYoung gangsters take up combat and retaliation, essentially without any oversight by urban authorities or parents; in fact, most adults are either gangsters themselves, ex-cons, or victims. The film does differentiate between gangsters showing moral development (and seeking escape from the cycle) and those who only want to commit more mayhem. |
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CommercialismiPods. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoDrinking and cigarette smoking at a bar; some gang members smoke marijuana several times. Someone wears a T-shirt that says "Tequila." |
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