Dancing with the Devil

Rio de Janeiro. September, 2008. Three men stalk the gloomy back-alleys of the city's notorious slums.

Spiderman, a 28-year-old drug lord, embarks on a routine patrol through the shadowy streets of Coréia, the sprawling slum he controls. Inspector Leonardo Torres, a muscle-bound operative from Rio's drug squad, inches through the alleys of another shantytown, shots ringing out around him. And Pastor Jonny, an evangelical preacher intent on ending Rio's drug conflict, trawls the slums for lost souls.

This gripping film was made with unprecedented access to some of Rio's most wanted drug lords, as well as to the specialist police from the city's Drug Squad with whom they are in a constant running gun battle. Neither side has ever been shown so openly and intimately on film before.

In the midst of this horrific violence Pastor Dione dos Santos tries to broker peace and lead the gangsters away from their way of life.

In telling its story Dancing with the Devil shows Rio de Janeiro's drug war up close and personal through the eyes of three men locked into one of the bloodiest urban conflicts on earth. (read less)

Rio de Janeiro. September, 2008. Three men stalk the gloomy back-alleys of the city's notorious slums.

Spiderman, a 28-year-old drug lord, embarks on a routine patrol through the shadowy streets of Coréia, the sprawling slum he controls. Inspector Leonardo Torres, a muscle-bound operative from Rio's drug squad, inches through the alleys of another shantytown, shots ringing out around him. And Pastor Jonny, an evangelical preacher intent on ending Rio's drug conflict, trawls the slums for lost... (read more)