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City of God: The Fight Rages On

Is this the sequel we were looking for?

Type
TV Series

Title
The City of God: The Fight Rages On

Year
2024

Genre
Crime, Drama, Drug Crime

Director
Aly Muritiba

Our Rating:

8/10

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Topic

This TV series is a sequel to the beloved Brazilian crime epic “City of God“, telling us the story of the original characters 20 years after the events depicted in the movie.

Review

Even considering the industry trend of releasing TV series to serve as prequels or sequels to globally acclaimed movies, we did not see this one coming. It seemed highly unlikely that anyone would dare to open this Pandora’s box involving what is one of the best Brazilian movies of all time. But if such a risk was taken, it must have been for a reason! Honestly, our expectations were high for this first season. 

The first impression was positive. Developing the narrative around a photographer allowed the director to take some insightful “snapshots” throughout the each episode, opening a window to see inside some of the darkest aspects in the daily life of the inhabitants of a Brazilian favela. In fact, the social problems and dilemmas highlighted are more accurate to the ones found nowadays in real life, as this TV show can (and should) be seen as an harsh criticism to these issues.

One of the aspects of the story that has aged well is related to Busca Pé (Rocket). It is bittersweet to see the transformation of the curious and pacifist kid roaming the favela with his camera into the professional photographer employed by a local newspaper. In fact, that young kid is now a grown man and a father and we are introduced to his daughter Leka, with whom Busca Pé has an uneasy relation, fueled by Leka’s criticism of some of the content her father produces for the newspaper – revealing at some point an intriguing ethical dilemma.

 

city of god: the fight rages on youknowwhatblog
City of God - The Fight Rages On - Busca Pé (Rocket)

One of the major differences between this sequel and the original movie lies on the visual style. City of God: The fight rages on seemed much more formatted/polished and we deeply missed the indie/raw filmmaking that defined City of God. This aspect made a huge difference as in the TV Series we never experienced the sensation of flinching after hearing a gunshot just like we did in the movie.

"Cool, but is it worth watching?"

It definitely is! If you haven’t watched the movie yet, we encourage you to do so first to fully appreciate the multiple references and flashbacks in the sequel.

If you have watched the City of God before, get ready for a TV series which is NOT on the same level as the movie, but which is still enjoyable and a way for you to revisit this infamous favela in Rio de Janeiro.

by YKW // 2 October 2024

Tags: city of god, city of god: the fight rages on, cinema, tv series, tv show, brazil, review

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