Bus 174

Name: Bus 174
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Released: October 8, 2003
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 83
Cast: Sandro do Nascimento

2003

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

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Bus 174

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Movie Details & Credits

New Yorker Films | Release Date: October 8, 2003 | R

Starring: Sandro do Nascimento

Summary: In the summer of 2000, in Rio de Janeiro, a 21-year-old hijacked a commuter bus and held its passengers hostage. The police were flummoxed as local TV crews arrived en masse to cover the headline-grabbing events as they unfolded. BUS 174 balances this potentially sensationalistic material with accounts by the police, the victims, theIn the summer of 2000, in Rio de Janeiro, a 21-year-old hijacked a commuter bus and held its passengers hostage. The police were flummoxed as local TV crews arrived en masse to cover the headline-grabbing events as they unfolded. BUS 174 balances this potentially sensationalistic material with accounts by the police, the victims, the witnesses and friends and family of the hijacker. (Film Forum)… Expand

Director: Felipe Lacerda and José Padilha

Genre(s): Crime, Documentary

Rating: R

Runtime: 122 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

J. Hoberman

Tense, engrossing, and superbly structured, Bus 174 is not just unforgettable drama but a skillfully developed argument. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Edited with an impeccable sense of timing and rhythm, with each new revelation and insight planted at just the right moment, Bus 174 examines an already gripping story from a moving and untold perspective. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Far from being atypical, the events of June 12 and the litany of tiny nightmares that led up to that day are brutally obvious. Read full review

Empire Will Lawrence

This powerful film offers no excuses for Sandro’s actions, but his situation demands our empathy. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

Alternating between the sad facts of Nascimento life -- which included a stretch at one of Rio's notorious prisons -- with the events unfolding outside the botanical garden, the film is a pulse-pounding piece of documentary reportage, and a terribly important account of a social problem in developing countries that won't be going away anytime soon. Read full review

Michael Wilmington

A unique portrait of modern crime and punishment, gives us terror without filters, a tragic event captured in all its initial immediacy and anguished aftermath. Read full review

Deborah Young

A tense documentary with multiple layers of meaning. Read full review

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User Reviews

SwagV.

Mar 10, 2007

Haunting. While I can't say it's among the best movies ever made, it's one that has stuck with me afterwards as long as anything.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

Iky009

Jan 4, 2014

2000 olhava atentos a tv o desespero d0 174, eu na época devia ter uns 4 anos mais ao ver esse documentário fiquei chocado com as cenas. Simplesmente um filme super tenso.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Candy

Mar 16, 2006

Amazingly shocking tale of a very sad and desparate young man with no specific agenda that escalated because no one was in control, not him, not the hostages, and especially not the police. The fact that the police killed him at the end was unavoidable but also inhumane. I put it up there Amazingly shocking tale of a very sad and desparate young man with no specific agenda that escalated because no one was in control, not him, not the hostages, and especially not the police. The fact that the police killed him at the end was unavoidable but also inhumane. I put it up there with Munich for movies to watch just to get a glimpse into what someone is capable of doing when pushed to the point of no return and feeling no help from those who we pay our taxes for to help.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful

joomjim4

Jun 18, 2012

It's a brave documentary in which portrays the real situation that had happened in the big city of Brazil. The truth is not for the baby to be blamed but the society.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

juliankennedy23

Oct 26, 2014

Score 7/10 Sandro is the name of our protagonist in Bus 174. The film is the latest in a long line of documentaries dealing with the street children of Brazil. This documentary is simply the cream of the crop. Using actual footage of a hostage crisis where Sandro takes a municipal busScore 7/10 Sandro is the name of our protagonist in Bus 174. The film is the latest in a long line of documentaries dealing with the street children of Brazil. This documentary is simply the cream of the crop. Using actual footage of a hostage crisis where Sandro takes a municipal bus hostage the film creates great tension for the viewer. (Especially American viewers like myself who have no idea how this turns out.) Interspersed between scenes of the hostage crisis are talking head interviews (a mixed bag from fascinating like Sandro's Aunt to annoying such as Sandro's social worker). Most fascinating is the sheer volume of footage from Sandro's street life before the crisis. The Documentary filmmakers really went out of their way to dig up these treasures.

The documentary is not without flaws however. The sheer volume of people who helped Sandro out in his young life undercuts the whole street kid premise of the film. The middle third does drag as many have noted and there is a horribly misjudged scene in a jail where prisoners shout out their grievances. (Shot in the negative like the monster vision from a mid-nineties creature feature it is a clear fabrication as the filmmakers were denied access to the actual jail in question. It is unnecessary and kills the mood like that Trey Parker style cartoon in Bowling for Columbine).

Those overall minor flaws aside this is one fascinating documentary that truly takes you into another world. Despite cursing and brief male nudity I would recommend this to every high school history class to see how the third world really lives.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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