SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Eumenides_0 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.

bob the moo When the Brazilian Government is overthrown by a military uprising, the result is a dictatorship over the people. With protests violently broken up on the streets, armed struggle is seen as the only solution and leads to the formation of the 8th October group (MR8). Desiring direct action, Fernando and Cesar join the group and are trained in weaponry and the likes. However during a bank job, Cesar hesitates to kill and is shot and captured by the police, while the others flee. It is this that gives Fernando the idea to kidnap the American ambassador in return for the release of 15 captured revolutionaries and bringing the events to the attention of the world. This film tells the story of the four-day hostage situation in the mid-sixties.I'm not a particularly well-read person and there is a lot of history (even recent history) that I am simply not aware of and this includes the events and times presented in this film. For that reason I cannot really comment on the accuracy or level of detail containing in this telling but what little I have since gleamed from other sources tell me that it is pretty fair and close enough to being accurate. The plot is well told and is made interesting by the attention paid to the people involved in the situation; the drama and tension comes from them rather than false action sequences or stand-offs. The thanks for this should lie with the cast but also with the script that creates the characters and makes them 'real', meaning we find it easier to understand them and feel for the positions they are in. The historical context is well done and I did find it very easy to get engaged in.The characters are where it is at and they are all very 'human'. We are never made to totally root for them because of what they are doing, but we are helped to understand why they are doing this and how hard it is for some of them to actually turn their words into action. Cardoso does this best and he is the real heart of the film and easily the most sympathetic character. He has good chemistry with Arkin, who does well acting in a foreign film. Torres does well to gradually soften her character as the film goes and it makes her more interesting than she was early on. Support is all pretty good with no really weak performances anywhere but the film mostly belongs to these lead three. The direction is good, capturing the feel of the period early on (where stock footage blends seamlessly into the main film) and producing tension without overdoing the style over substance.Overall this is a pretty good film, telling a straight story using the characters to drive it forward and involve the audience. The film has tension but it comes from the people involved and the situations they face in the attempts to do the 'right thing'. The script delivers the characters to the actors and the actors are convincing in their delivery, producing an engaging and interesting film that helps deliver historical relevance in a miniature story.

Flavio Velame The movie, based on the Fernando Gabeira's novel, is intense, full of action, motion and meaning. How a few young rebels planned and executed the kidnap of the US Ambassador in Rio - on that time, the Embassy was still there. Very well produced and edited, special comments about the sound, with some moments of silence and other with a disturbing noise. An expert crew. Take a look in Pedro Cardoso, who represents Fernando Gabeira. OK, some scenes of the movie are different from the original written version, but I should say it looks really good. But I would never suggest somebody else to try repeating their adventure and kidnap the US Ambassador...

AEIOU-2 If you dig substantive thrillers that have realistic, interesting characters this is for you. This is an under-seen flick full of emotion and tension. Alan Arkin is terrific as the hostage.The script is intricate, subtle and gripping. Fine direction by Barreto.