In City of Men, there’s no tour guide holding your hand as you’re thrust into the crime-ridden streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The narrator of City of God, Rocket, makes no appearance in this spin-off, forcing you to trust your instinct to navigate the cidade dos homens.

City of Men is an emotionally charged follow-up to the Oscar-nominated City of God. PR photo.

Following the success of the critically acclaimed City of God and “City of Men,” the Brazilian television series, comes another story from Rio. This tale focuses on two best friends—Acerola and Laranjinha, or “Ace” and “Wallace”—entering adulthood in the midst of gang wars. While it’s not as violent or stunning as City of God, the movie effectively tells the story with great cinematography and believable characters.

Fatherhood is a central theme to City of Men. Ace finds himself struggling to step into his role as a new father while Wallace struggles to find his own father. Douglas Silva and Darlan Cunha, who play Ace and Wallace respectively, play these roles effortlessly. The characters seem to transcend fiction. It’s particularly moving to see Ace cry (out of fear) after his child is born.

Friendship also plays a role in the movie. Ace and Wallace’s friendship—in its strongest and weakest moments—is always convincing. The actors are able to share the screen and hold it separately.

The movie is beautiful, flooded with golden images of Brazilians girls and guys, the sun, the beach, marijuana, and guns. The nearly documentary-style of cinematography puts you in the middle of the story and adds an element of gritty truth, but the film lacks fluid storytelling. When it delivers sex, crime, and emotion, the delivery is powerful. The problem is that the scenes between the flashes of excitement are tame. Where City of God found a way to deliver action after action perfectly, City of Men drops the ball. It’s a possibility that the new director didn’t want City of Men to be action overkill, but that was something that made City of God so great.

The foreign film is in Portuguese, so be prepared to read. City of Men is a more heartfelt and less in-your-face counterpoint to its predecessor. But it capitalizes on its characters and imagery to produce another must-see story from the slums of Rio.

Overall Rating: B+