By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Felipe Lacerda | José Padilha
Original language title: Ônibus 174
Country: brazil
Year: 2003
Running time: 122
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0284203
Diane says: “BUS 174 is grueling — the docu about the Rio de Janeiro bus hostages. Director keeps the tension going for 2 hours, despite very little happening. Diversity of cinematographic effects is effective: long aerial shot of the city (deep colors) opens; TV footage of the event; prisoners in horrible conditions are shot in negative; talking heads on black background for post-event interviews…. Evil is rampant, sometimes merely in the guise of incompetence or neglect. One striking negative: the sociologist who talks about the invisibility of street kids is so esoteric and takes himself so seriously that he could be in a Christopher Guest movie.” 4 cats
Rick says: “BUS 174 reminded me of DOG DAY AFTERNOON in a real-life sort of way. Very suspenseful and engagingly presented using an effective mix of incident footage, shots of Rio, and interviews providing a variety of insights and perspectives of the perpetrator’s life and the street culture that he grew up in. This is a film that could not have been made had this hijacking been handled properly by the police. Little if any attempt was made to secure the crime scene, thereby enabling the media along with hundreds of spectators to encircle the hijacked bus, further endangering everyone involved or nearby. This was only the first of a number of tactical errors that make me thankful for the progress that has been achieved in American policing. All sorts of fascinating psychological and sociological issues are raised, as the film does a great job of balancing background information with the moment-to-moment hijacking crisis. My only nitpick is that I was a bit put off by the negative image prison shots – like the reality wasn’t impressive enough to speak for itself? Lots of good documentaries this year, and this is among the best.” 4 cats