Review of “The Fight Rages On”: TV Follow-Up Loses Impact

When City Of God: The Fight Rages On opens, Buscapé, the weary photographer known as Rocket, is once again caught in the turmoil between rival gangs and the police in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. Played by Alexandre Rodrigues with a comic sense of browbeaten resilience, Rocket is still in the same spot we left him over two decades ago. He continues to narrate about the unchanging dangers of his surroundings while bullets fly and bodies pile up, all through the lens of his camera.

The entire point of the 2002 Oscar-nominated film City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, was to highlight that the violence in these slums is cyclical and seemingly inescapable. The premise was striking and brutally real, significantly impacting viewers and critics alike.

If there’s any purpose to a redux like The Fight Rages On, it might be to offer a reflective look at a movie that was both gripping and realistic but also accused of being voyeuristic. City of God managed to merge the pulp of directors like Tarantino and Guy Ritchie with a social drama that focuses on the lives of impoverished children in Rio’s slums. While it was an electrifying watch, it also left some critics uneasy due to how it depicted characters as expendable.

The new six-part series, produced by Meirelles and directed by Aly Muritiba, reunites much of the original cast, covering familiar ground but with less style. In the episodes made available to critics, Rocket is older and more subdued, having outgrown the youthful energy of the original film. He finds himself grappling with the ethics of his work, particularly the way his photos are consumed by those far removed from the violence. His 15-year-old daughter accuses him of exploiting trauma, and this accusation gains weight as Rocket’s work is misused by a corrupt politician to push for more aggressive police action in the favelas.

In a landscape changed by movements like Black Lives Matter, the series portrays police not only battling criminals (many of whom operate from within their own ranks) but also facing resistance from activists. Among these activists are notable characters like Rocket’s childhood friend Barbantinho, now a community organizer, and Cinthia, who channels her trauma into positive action by running community programs for kids. Additionally, Berenice, another familiar face, now serves as a stern figure in the community, aiming to divert youths from criminal paths.

The series tries to weave these various characters into its narrative but does so in a hurried and sometimes confusing manner. City of God was celebrated for its screenplay and editing, skillfully condensing two decades into a captivating, fast-paced two-hour storyline. The film seamlessly played with timelines, introduced new characters, and killed off familiar ones while keeping the audience engaged throughout. Unfortunately, this structural elegance seems lost in the new series.

Instead of maintaining the simplicity and clarity of its predecessor, the series complicates its relatively straightforward setup. A conflict erupts between a paternalistic crime boss (Marcos Palmeira) and his impulsive lieutenant (Thiago Martins), egged on by a fiery girlfriend (Andréia Horta). This familiar territory, especially post-Narcos, is rendered in clichéd tropes, sacrificing the original’s gritty authenticity.

As the series attempts to delve into the ethics of sensationalizing trauma, it struggles to make a meaningful impact. When the gunmen gear up and the flashy aesthetics take over, any deeper critical conversation feels insincere. Though The Fight Rages On tries to recapture the original’s essence, it ultimately falls short of its predecessor’s brilliance.

Source: The Guardian