Bus 174
New Yorker Films | Release Date: October 8, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Tense, engrossing, and superbly structured, Bus 174 is not just unforgettable drama but a skillfully developed argument. Read full review
100
Washington PostDesson Thomson
By the end, you realize you've seen an extraordinary movie, easily one of the best of the year. Read full review
100
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The results are as riveting as any action movie ever made. Read full review
90
The A.V. ClubScott 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
90
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Tough and relentless, dazzlingly researched and crafted. At its core is compassion for those who are angry, violent and uneducated. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
What results is a thoughtful, analytical yet still emotional film, meticulously investigated and absolutely compelling. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc 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
88
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It is to Padilha's enormous credit that he steadfastly kicks aside our own culturally imposed frames of reference, insisting that we see the truth, and the humanity, within this very real story. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
If you have seen the masterful 2002 Brazilian film "City of God" or the 1981 film "Pixote," both about the culture of Rio's street people, then Bus 174 plays like a sad and angry real-life sequel. Read full review
88
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
A lot of ground for one film to cover, but this smart, absorbing movie, which has been sharply edited by Felipe Lacerda, never feels like it's spreading itself too thin. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Although it shares a bitter interest in slum desperation with last year's Brazilian-underbelly docudrama ''City of God,'' Bus 174 pulls ahead, I think, by not confusing cinematic pizzazz with the content of misery. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRichard James Havis
This gripping Brazilian documentary shows a bus hijacking that spirals out of control because of police incompetence. Read full review
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
So wrenching and absorbing that you can easily lose sight of the sophistication of its techniques. Read full review
80
TV Guide MagazineKen 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
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
It all adds up to a searing portrait of social misery. Read full review
80
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
This is provocative stuff--and not just for its searing indictment of Brazilian society. Read full review
80
EmpireWill Lawrence
This powerful film offers no excuses for Sandro’s actions, but his situation demands our empathy. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
The drivel they call "reality TV" pales in comparison with the gripping big-screen documentary Bus 174. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
A fascinating account, if less urgently compelling than it might have been. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael 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
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Riveting and courageous documentary. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
The film takes us behind bars to hear horror stories from prisoners. They're illuminated by a black light to hide their identity. The effect is like looking at an X-ray. Moments like this attest to Padilha's artistry as a filmmaker. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Engrossing, smartly made documentary. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's a chilling tale that leaves us with the fear that Latin America's exploding social problems may well be beyond solution. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderPatrick McGavin
Padilha allows neither easy answers nor ironic commentary, producing on both sides of the conflict a world of inconsolable grief. Read full review
70
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
An amazingly powerful piece of cinema. Actually, it's more an amazingly powerful piece of news journalism; the kind of in-depth stories told in all their complexity that such fluff American network "news" magazines as "Dateline" could only dream about telling. Read full review
50
VarietyDeborah Young
A tense documentary with multiple layers of meaning. Read full review
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