Four Days in September (1997)
Fernando, a journalist, and his friend César join terrorist group MR8 in order to fight Brazilian dictatorial regime during the late sixties. César, however, is wounded and captured during a bank hold up. Fernando then decides to kidnap the American ambassador in Brazil and ask for the release of fifteen political prisoners in exchange for his life.
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Just perfect...
best movie i've ever seen.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
In 1964, the military deposes the democratically elected Brazilian government. By 1969, the military has imposed a police state. Friends Fernando Gabeira and César decide to fight back by joining revolutionaries. The group MR8 is led by Maria. César is captured during a bank robbery. Fernando comes up with the plan to kidnap the American Ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick (Alan Arkin). They seek to exchange him for 15 prisoners.I like the mix of characters in the revolutionary group. Each character is well defined and fully complete. It's not that much of a thriller despite a few action scenes. It has some psychological aspects. It's really the interactions within the group and with Alan Arkin that is the most interesting.
One more time I turn off my DVD player, satisfied, with a very good production, I've never been left disappointed when I pick a Brazilian film to watch, I'm also an enthusiastic of Brazilian soap-opera, I'm telling you that is the best of the world, may look the traditional American soap opera like trash, not to mention that the soap-opera from Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, etc is in my opinion pure garbage. So getting' back to this movie, I don't know what to tell you, I'm not very good describing movies, I left that for Ebert and Roeper, just trust me and watch the movie, it worth it. Great acting, great photography, besides, all the beautiful landscape from Brazil, do your self a favor and don't miss it, I recommend as well, Central Do Brazil, and Tieta Do Agreste
The year is 1969. Brazil is under a brutal military dictatorship. Political prisoners are being held and tortured. In order to get the junta to free some of their comrades, a group of ragtag "revolutionaries" kidnap the U.S. Ambassabor and threaten his life unless their demands are met.Well-written and tense, the film ably demonstrates the flaws of people trying to fight fire with fire: "an eye for and eye". Alan Arkin is wonderful as the ambassador. His character gives incisive psychological sketches of his kidnappers: fervent and brooding; yearning and lost.Fernanda Torres and Pedro Cardoso are marvelous as comrades who become lovers by their admittance of how really scared they are.My subject line refers to a line in the script that aptly describes the bending of the political spectrum at its ends. I'm glad I found this movie.
''Four Days in September'' hasn't a wonderful script, but it's funny and has a precise reconstitution of the turbulent end of the 60's. If the screenplay gets some liberties, they're imperceptible (for those who doesn't live here in Brazil). Bruno Barreto is in a great moment in his direction, and the cast is something incredible. The best things of the film, however, are the sequences of action (simple-minded on a general point of view, but marvelous, for Brazilian cinema).