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Bus 174
2002
A documentary recounting the events of June 12, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro when several people fell victim to the hijacking of a bus. Unable to determine the motives of the hijacker, the authorities stood their ground for four hours whilst the television cameras recorded every second, capturing the attention of a nation for the .. Read more
| Director | Jose Padilha |
|---|---|
| Genres | Documentary, World Cinema |
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Bus 174
A documentary recounting the events of June 12, 2000 in Rio de Janeiro when several people fell victim to the hijacking of a bus. Unable to determine the motives of the hijacker, the authorities stood their ground for four hours whilst the television cameras recorded every second, capturing the attention of a nation for the duration of the stand-off. Portuguese dialogue with English subtitles.
| Director | Jose Padilha |
|---|---|
| Studio | METRODOME DISTRIBUTION |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Documentary, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Portuguese |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 20 Sep 2004 Production year: 2002 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (4)
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An outstanding example of the crusading documentary, this account of the tragic life and times of Rio street kid Sandro do Nascimento lays bare the inhumanity, incompetence and indifference that allow so many born into poverty to sink into depravity. On 12 June 2000, Sandro hijacked a bus and held the occupants hostage for over four hours. The stand-off was broadcast live to the nation and José Padilha and co-director Felipe Lacerda make compelling use of the contemporary TV footage. They also reveal his traumatic childhood — witnessing his mother's murder and, later, the butchering of his pals outside a church by men believed to be off-duty cops — and interview friends, SWAT officers and surviving hostages. The violent denouement is perhaps over-dramatised, but, by then, the film-makers' points about Sandro, urban decay and the class divide in Brazilian society have been more than well made.
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An intense, troubling, engrossing documentary from the streets of Rio de Janeiro, pieced together from TV news... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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25 out of 30 people found this review helpful
Brutal, shocking, compelling.
Shocking, brutal and ultimately compelling, what starts life as a suspected robbery attempt transforms into a shocking insight into the inadequacies of an untrained police force, the media's effect on circumstance and the failure of society.
Flashing back and forth between news reel footage of the events as they unfold and interviews with the hostages, the police officers present on the day and friends and family of the protagonist himself, we are not only compelled to feel anger and pity for the passengers aboard Bus 174 but also for the hostage taker himself.
So in depth is this masterful yet excrutiating documentary that it becomes difficult to define exactly who is the victim and who is the villain.
Bus 174 is essentially a criticism of modern day society, where it seems everyone has their part to play, even a young lady getting on a bus one morning to pick up some groceries. It could happen to anybody.
At two and a half hours this documentary might not be to everyones taste but as an insight into the failure of society and societies compulsion to turn a blind eye, it delivers a powerful message that shouldn't be ignored. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Tense, slow, dramatic, sad
The inevitable showdown is merely a blip in the sad story of the highjacked bus in Rio and the interviews with those that knew the highjacker. This is reality TV...
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