The prized documentarist Julien Temple (director of films such as The Filth and The Fury and Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten) offers a look at the cultural and social history of Rio de Janeiro. Starting at the end of slavery and leading up to the preparations for the World Cup 2014 and the Olympics 2016, the film offers an x-ray of the extreme city in all its charm and danger. It makes the most of archive images and previously unpublished interviews with renowned citizens such as Ronnie Biggs, Fernando Gabeira, Eduardo Paes, Narcisa Tamborindeguy, Sany Pitbull, amongst others.