Bruno Barreto and screenwriter Leopoldo Serran have created one of the best Brazilian movies I've ever seen. It doesn't have the vicious coolness of Tropa de Elite, or the unusual camera movement and storytelling of Cidade de Deus. In fact it's a pretty classical-looking movie, with a delicate, straightforward story, reserved camera angles and little visual spectacles. But it has a great heart and a better story.
In the '60s, when Brazil is living under a dictatorship, a group of young men and women decide to create a revolutionary group to capture the world's attention about the atrocities being committed in their country. Because robbing banks and kidnapping Generals won't break the press' wall of censorship, they decide to aim at a bigger target, one which will have worldwide repercussions: the ambassador of the United States in Brazil.
The filmmakers are making a movie depicting one of the worst episodes in the history of Brazil, and yet they manage to find an even-handed way of showing the flaws of both sides. If the regime comes across as brutal, employing torture techniques and repression, the revolutionaries come across as sometimes heartless and willing to do anything to bring attention to their cause.
Although the cast was great in general, I loved Alan Arkin's performance as Charles Elbrick, the kidnapped ambassador. He portrayed fragility, coolness under pressure and even dignity. I wish he could have had a bigger role and more lines in Portuguese, which he managed to speak quite perceptibly.
In many ways this movie reminds me of Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers, another balanced examination of the two sides in a war for independence. I loved the subplot about a policeman who questions the use of torture in his job, and the way it messes up his personal life. But believing in the cause of defending his country against what he sees as terrorists, he has no other alternative. It's a fascinating look into the other side.
All in all, Four Days In September is a great political thriller, reminiscent of the '70s thrillers: slow paced, reserved, rife with ideas, and some good suspense. Anyone who loves movies like The Day of the Jackal, The Three Days of the Condor, or The Conformist, will surely love this Brazilian gem.
In the '60s, when Brazil is living under a dictatorship, a group of young men and women decide to create a revolutionary group to capture the world's attention about the atrocities being committed in their country. Because robbing banks and kidnapping Generals won't break the press' wall of censorship, they decide to aim at a bigger target, one which will have worldwide repercussions: the ambassador of the United States in Brazil.
The filmmakers are making a movie depicting one of the worst episodes in the history of Brazil, and yet they manage to find an even-handed way of showing the flaws of both sides. If the regime comes across as brutal, employing torture techniques and repression, the revolutionaries come across as sometimes heartless and willing to do anything to bring attention to their cause.
Although the cast was great in general, I loved Alan Arkin's performance as Charles Elbrick, the kidnapped ambassador. He portrayed fragility, coolness under pressure and even dignity. I wish he could have had a bigger role and more lines in Portuguese, which he managed to speak quite perceptibly.
In many ways this movie reminds me of Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers, another balanced examination of the two sides in a war for independence. I loved the subplot about a policeman who questions the use of torture in his job, and the way it messes up his personal life. But believing in the cause of defending his country against what he sees as terrorists, he has no other alternative. It's a fascinating look into the other side.
All in all, Four Days In September is a great political thriller, reminiscent of the '70s thrillers: slow paced, reserved, rife with ideas, and some good suspense. Anyone who loves movies like The Day of the Jackal, The Three Days of the Condor, or The Conformist, will surely love this Brazilian gem.