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One of the best sequences in this summer’s THE INCREDIBLE HULK is an early moment when Banner is hiding out in the favelas of Rio De Janeiro; the camera sweeps up along the mountainside, revealing tightly-packed slums mushrooming along its surface. Its a sight foreign to my American eyes, and I found myself curious about the people and way of life inside this poverty-stricken seaside community.

With CITY OF MEN, director PAULO MORELLI continues the series initiated by the acclaimed 2002 crime drama CITY OF GOD, only this time the focus is on the people affected by skyrocketing crime in these impoverished communities.

DOUGLAS SILVA and DARLAN CUNHA reprise their roles from the successful television show as lifelong friends Ace and Wallace. The show, which for four years followed their growth from 13 to 17, extended their stories from CITY OF GOD. Here, Ace finds himself an unwilling father to a newborn and and marriage, while Wallace obsesses over the father he never knew. In the background is a fierce territorial battle in their neighborhood by rival drug gangs which threatens to tear their lives and friendship apart.

The story is pure soap opera, littered with head-slapping coincidences that strain credulity. While mostly straightforward, director Morelli and screenwriter ELENA SOAREZ skip around confusingly with flashbacks to the television show that will only resonate deeply with audiences familiar with the material. This tends to render the plot inaccessible to foreign audiences … like me.

However, the film has two highly engaging leading men in Silva and Cunha. Their easy charm and familiarity with each other is the film’s strongest asset, and their believable and palpable chemistry sells many of the sillier plot developments. In particular, Cunha has all of the makings of a major star, his soulful eyes and winning smile reminiscent of a very young, Brazilian WILL SMITH. The rest of the cast exudes charisma but little else, with JONATHAN HAAGENSEN the sole stand out as a magnetic and charming drug lord named Midnight.

Morelli and cinematographer ADRIANO GOLDMAN compose vibrant shots that radiate the textures and energy of the favelas in Rio. The heat, the sweat, and the lazy desperation of these people and their lives pop off the screen with crisp urgency.

If only they had used all of these talents in the service of a more powerful and believable story. As it is, CITY OF MEN is an enjoyable but contrived story about friendship and fatherhood.

EXTRAS

Nothing here except an interesting documentary that looks behind the making of the film, the locations, and the phenomenon of the television show that spawned this big screen treatment. I learned a few things about the origins of this film that helped me appreciate more about what the filmmakers were trying to do. Particularly insightful were the interviews with Silva and Cunha, who reveal how they were able to tap into their own experiences - as well as their real-life friendship - to create the world shown in this movie.

OVERALL

This is a good film, and I think it deserves a shot with moviegoers. While it is clearly a soap opera, and rarely raises its storytelling to any level above that, it still manages to show a fascinating and rarely-seen side to this country and its people. Additionally, it features two winning young actors in fine performances. Give it a try.