Director/star Jose Mojica Marins returns in this sequel to The End of Man as Finnis Hominis. The film begins with the incredible ending of the original. If you recall, Finnis Hominis arrived on the streets of Sao Paolo and quickly became a messianic figure who amassed a great following. The final shot then showed him after his work was done returning home to a mental institution!
Well, Finnis hangs out in his cell for a bit before escaping once again. He gets right back to work, squashing a beef between two rival street thugs named Chico and Skull with just a few words of wisdom. He also interrupts a virgin sacrifice and turns the followers against the priests presiding over the ceremony, breaks up a lovers’ quarrel at a Gypsy camp, and crashes a den of inequity.
Finnis Hominis is sort of like the opposite side of the coin from Coffin Joe. Although they are both mysterious figures that point out the hypocrisy of societal norms, Finnis dresses in bright colors and has a much sunnier disposition than the sinister Joe. While the Finnis Hominis films are decent, they aren’t a patch on Coffin Joe’s pictures.
Now that we know Finnis is actually batshit insane from the very start, his adventures don’t pack the same kind of punch. As in the first movie, this one flips back and forth from color to black and white in sometimes arbitrary fashion. It also suffers from an episodic nature. It’s probably my least favorite of the Marins movies I’ve seen, but it carries enough of his distinct touches to make it worth watching.
Some sequences are better than others (the romantic drama at the Gypsy camp goes on way too long) and the final twist in this entry is weak, not to mention predictable. Still, the film contains at least one scene that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor. About a half hour into the movie, there is a viewer discretion warning for a religious ceremony where people dance wildly and bite the heads off live chickens and drink their blood. It’s fairly disgusting, and those who are squeamish when it comes to animal abuse will appreciate the heads-up.
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