O Homem do Ano

I started to see Brazilian movies a few years ago. And after «City of God», and the mini-series «Cidade dos Homens» («City of Men»), I was really expecting to see another movie about criminality, but outside the «favelas». Man of The Year, was the best picture on this subject, and together with «City of God» we can have a real perspective on the Brazilian crime scene.

The movie was really well directed, the script and the story were great and very original, and the photography and angles were very well done. The actors were Great ! as the Brazilian cast have already teach us on prior movies... They promise a lot !

It's a common story, about how everything started to an Hit-man... and it all make sense and happen in a so natural way... It's like the destiny was already written.

I specially enjoyed the end of the movie, because I was really expecting the «usual» bad ending on a movie like this... But the director give us a chance...

I gave a 9 out of 10 to this picture and I'm already waiting for the next Brazilian movie on this thematics.

Great Movie !

What can I say about The Man of the Year other than SEE THIS NOW.

I'd like to start by saying that I don't really understand all the comparisons to City of God. I am a HUGE fan of City of God, and I even have Palace II on DVD which seems to be a rarity. I went into The Man of the Year with high hopes, and although they were met, I just don't see the resemblance to COG. I understand it's Brazilian and there are guns / gangs involved but that's about it in my eyes. I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I guess that's why there are multiple user comments.

The best way I can describe this film is El Mariachi meets Tarentino. It seems to be more of a play on El Mariachi in my opinion, however it still manages to be unique enough to make it a story of it's own. There are some comedic moments in which I found myself laughing, while at other moments I felt myself getting excited and filled with tension as I wondered what was going to happen next. When it was all said and done however, this movie was fantastic. I don't want to give much away and other users have basically outlined the plot, so I'll leave it at that. A great film, and a film I hope many people have a chance to see.

I got my copy from Film Movement, and I have to say this little company is really delivery some quality film. People should pay more attention to them.

THE MAN OF THE YEAR, directed by Jose Henrique Fonseca, is a peculiar addition to the Vigilante Film Genre. Set in a poor section of Rio de Janeiro, Maiquel is a man without direction, who murders a thug over an insult, becomes a hero in the community, and then morphs into a kind of 'Killer For Hire'. This populist gunman becomes the darling of the local business class who immediately realize his value as a protector of their interests. Usually films of this nature explore the justification for the anti-hero's actions, and show how his violent behavior changes his character. However, in this film the protagonist seems to be driven by indifference--he kills without compunction and doesn't have the slightest trace of a moral compass. Although Christianity is referenced numerous times by various characters in the film, THE MAN OF THE YEAR is really an exploration of a man who feels nothing when he kills, and is incapable of feeling guilt. Máiquel shows more emotion when his pet pig, Bill, is killed than when he guns down defenseless men. It's interesting to note that none of his killings are fair, or even justifiable-all of them are executions, and most of them are not even his idea. Maybe the director is trying to say that in the wretched favela of Rio, a horribly cruel system of justice is better than none at all.

Murilo Benecio is a young Brazilian actor who just keeps turning out fine, solid and very different character roles. As the leading character is this well made film by director Jose Henrique Fonseca from a script written by his father Rubem Fonseca in turn based on the novel 'O Matador' by Patricia Melo, Benecio molds a memorable portrait of a man of low self esteem who is strangely and inadvertently raised to the level of hero in the most bizarre of circumstances.

The setting is Rio de Janiero and Maiquel is a loner looking for an identity. On a bet he decides to have his dark hair bleached by the beautiful beautician Cledir (Claudia Abreu) and finds that as he steps back into his world he is the object of notice. After a cruel teasing by thug Suel (Wagner Moura) he buys a gun and almost unwittingly kills Suel who dies in the arms of his girlfriend Erica (Natalia Lage). Despite Maiquel's fears of his arrest he finds that the neighborhood rewards him for ridding them of a criminal and Maiquel becomes a hero. Not only is he rewarded with gifts (including a pet pig he names Bill after watching Bill Clinton's visit to Brazil on TV!), he is also given free dental work by Dr. Carvalho (Jorge Doria) in exchange for agreeing to kill an enemy of the dentist. More and more people ask Maiquel to whack bad people making Maiguel's new blond persona a hit man and man of the year. How he ultimately begins to spiral downward when his life is complicated by a marriage and family and holding a regular job forces him to initiate his own choices of violence and return to his original hair color to alter his destiny! If the story sounds odd, it is really a depiction of life in the city of Rio where the police are impotent to control the violence that prevails. Maiquel becomes the Robin Hood/Batman type who brings a degree of safety to his community. Wisely Benecio holds our attention and our compassion as he performs his many murders, creating a man in whom we can believe and applaud despite the grim things he does.

The cast is uniformly fine and the cinematography by Breno Silveira and the musical score by Dado Villa-Lobos (an important guitar player, relation to composer Heitor Villa-Lobos unknown!) is classy. This is yet another fine film from Brazil, in Portuguese, and one that deserves wide attention - especially for Murilo Benecio's superb performance. Recommended. Grady Harp

After getting his hair dyed blond as a bet, Máiquel goes to his local bar where he is laughed at by Suel. Enraged by this insult (in front of a girl), he returns later and shoots Suel. He is afraid of capture by the police but he finds that not only is he considered a hero by the local community but also by the police – who are happy that he killed Suel as he was a criminal but too young to be sent to jail. With his reputation as a vigilante he is approached by his dentist, Dr Carvalho to do another killing – a rapist who attacked his 17-year-old daughter. Máiquel finds himself drawn further into the killings while his life also tries to turn normal, with a new wife and a child on the way.

City of God has opened up the wider world to not only Brazilian cinema but South American generally and it is a good thing despite films that maybe didn't deserve it getting a wider release. This is not the case with this film, which I am glad got an European release and, thanks to arts channel BBC4, got it's UK television premiere a week or so ago. The plot covers similar ground as City of God in terms of it's subtext (if you could call such an obvious point 'sub') as it deals with the violence of the lower classes as contrasted with the apathy of those rich enough to afford to leave it behind. The film makes this point in an enjoyable story that sees Máiquel sucked into being a killer of criminals and being involved with the rich men within the local community, however he is only ever their tool and can easily be replaced – he is never more than a member of the lower classes, albeit a member that is temporarily useful. This main story is enjoyably slick and stylishly told and it's only downside is that it could easily have been just a little shorter and punchier. This works but it is made much better by Fonseca's comments on current society.

As already mentioned, Máiquel's descent into violence and despair is likened onto the spiral of despair and violence seen in the slums of Rio. Although the story is exaggerated for the sake of the film, the meaning is there nonetheless. The film makes the further point of it by showing several things within Máiquel's life that he has no control over – Érica and Bill are both things suddenly in his life that just happen and he seems unable to take action either way. With these social comments the film shows itself to be intelligent and aware and this helped me get over the occasional flaws in plotting. Also helping the film a great deal is the acting from a good cast.

Benício is a big actor in Brazil and he is good here, he starts as an arrogant kid and becomes increasingly frantic and violent. His character is basic but he keeps Máiquel an interesting person and never just a metaphor for Brazil's problems. Abreu also undergoes a transformation and, although in a smaller character, hers is even better. At the start of the film she is carefree and beautiful and, with mostly attitude and voice she becomes a tired, unattractive wife! The rest of the cast are all good in various roles and there are no real weak links. The performances are all natural and make the story feel very real when delivering a script set in a very believable Rio.

Overall, City of God may get all the press but this film is almost as good despite not being as expansive and stylish. The basic story is enjoyable and involving and is only made better by the layers of commentary on society that is carries with it. The direction is good and this is a very enjoyable film that will hopefully continue to be seen by greater audiences worldwide as a result of City of God's success.