"Lúcio Flávio" is a relic of its time, specific to its place and time, and due to that it is very difficult to evaluate it subjectively. The real story of the infamous criminal that defied order in Brazil in the late 60s and early 70s, it is understandably like nothing that was produced in Brazil up until that time, but pails horribly in comparison to what was achieved in movie making in later years - it even pails in comparison to Babenco's "Pixote", released a mere 3 years afterwards. Uneven and fragmented, no character is developed any further beyond what they are first shown. Lucio's decision to turn against police corruption comes a bit too drastically, his demise is rushed, and some of the characters behavior makes me scratch my head in confusion, particularly "132", who seems to be made an easy (and pathetic) target at one moment, and defies Lucio bravely in the next. The ending quote, stating the corrupt policemen were punished, is laughable and remote to the drastic era of the Hays code in America - but it's easy to deduce it was an imposition from that era's military government censorship. It's difficult to recommend this film apart from being a borderline morbid curiosity about that particular time in Brazil's history, seen from a very thin (and repetitive) point of view.
2 Reviews
Police and Bandit Are All the Same Stuff
claudio_carvalho18 June 2005
Lúcio Flávio Lírio was a famous bank-robber in the early seventies in Rio de Janeiro, glamorized by part of the population and press due to his bold robberies and escapes. "Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia" is a spectacular and brave film of Hecto Babenco, which shows themes like "Death Squad" and the corruption in the police of Rio de Janeiro. The viewer shall understand that these subjects where hidden from the Brazilian society in those times of military dictatorship, but Lucio Flávio disclosed names and how the system operated before being killed in the penitentiary on 29 January 1975. José Louzeiro wrote a book with his revelations and Hector Babenco made this daring movie. Even in 2005, this film is very attractive: the performances of the cast are outstanding, and Reginaldo Farias is superb in the role of the famous outlaw. The dialogs are amazing, and I have selected my three favorite lines for the readers (Obs: it is a free translation, since the movie is spoken in Portuguese): (1) Moretti to Lúcio Flavio: "- Heads and tails are in different sides of the coin, but very close to each other. Police and bandit are all the same stuff, both of them are in the same boat." (2) Lúcio Flávio: "- I have been "dead meat" for a long time. I am just waiting time to come." (3) Lúcio Flávio: "- Jail without money does not work." "Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia" was awarded with the 1978 Golden Kikito in the following categories: Best Actor (Reginaldo Farias), Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor (Ivan Cândido). Unfortunately, it seems that this is another excellent Brazilian movie without international distribution. Even in Brazil, I have a very old VHS, bought from a rental, and this movie has not been released on DVD. IMDb users, lovers of films like the dear Bob the Moo, will probably not have the chance to see this excellent film. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia" ("Lúcio Flávio, the Passenger of the Agony")
Title (Brazil): "Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia" ("Lúcio Flávio, the Passenger of the Agony")
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