Rulers of Fortune Review 2025 Tv Show Series Cast Crew Online
“Rulers of Fortune” plunges the viewer into the underworld of Rio de Janeiro, where illegal gambling, family rivalries and the shifting landscape of power combine in an intense, high-stakes narrative. Set amid the deep-seated tradition of the jogo do bicho (the animal-game lottery) and the impending threat of legalization, the show presents a world where the rules are in flux and ambition can be a lethal weapon. The series centres on Profeta (played by André Lamoglia), a young man from the city’s margins whose strategic mind and hunger for influence lead him into a war between several entrenched crime families.The stakes are high–not just monetary or territorial, but moral: alliances crumble, betrayals unfold, and the delinquent world is not glamourised but rendered with grit and detail.
One of the biggest strengths of the show is its ambition to present the setting of Rio de Janeiro not just as a backdrop, but as a character in itself. The production uses actual locations across the city – from the beaches of Copacabana and Praia Vermelha to the upscale Jockey Club Brasileiro – grounding the series in a vibrant, heterogeneous cityscape. This visual authenticity helps elevate what could have been a familiar crime saga into something more immersive. Cinematography (as seen in the trailer reports) appears to generate strong visual contrast between the opulent social circles of the crime families and the harsher underbelly of the margins. The production values signal that Netflix Brazil is aiming beyond local fare — this is meant for a global audience, while retaining local flavour.
Narratively, “Rulers of Fortune” weaves multiple story tracks: Profeta’s ascension, the internecine feud between sisters Suzana and Mirna Guerra, the old-guard Fernandez family resisting change, and the external threat posed by legalisation and foreign crime syndicates. This layering gives the show both scope and texture. The personal dramas (siblings, marriage, loyalty) tie into the wider power plays, making the world feel more than just “guns and deals” — it has emotional stakes. One particularly intriguing angle is the moment when characters who feel like part of the internal machinery of power discover that they hold little agency; the old guard’s rigidity collides with the upstart’s ruthlessness. That push-and-pull between tradition and disruption becomes the engine of much of the drama.
Performances are strong overall. André Lamoglia turns in a charismatic, razor-edged portrayal of Profeta: ambitious, cunning, but with vulnerabilities. Juliana Paes, as Leila Fernandez, brings a commanding presence — a reminder that in these worlds the women may not always be visible, but they are never powerless. The ensemble cast (including Mel Maia, Giullia Buscaccio, Xamã) helps populate the world with characters who feel real and morally compromised, which is exactly the point: in “Rulers of Fortune”, no one is purely heroic and few are wholly evil — they are all operating under pressure, making choices that will cost them dearly.
However, several issues temper the show’s impact. First, because of its narrative ambition, the pacing sometimes feels uneven. With eight episodes packed with high-stakes plotlines—illegal gambling networks, political interference, familial betrayals, romance, legacy, and corporate-style boardroom intrigue—some elements feel hurried or under-explored. For example, while Profeta’s rise is well-depicted, some of the motivations for supporting characters can feel shorthand: the sisterly rivalry between Mirna and Suzana is compelling, but at times the show assumes familiarity or skips over deeper psychological grounding. One review notes: “I don’t understand the rivalry between the two sisters, who could’ve literally had it all together… it’s always the men who come in and ruin everything, eh?” That suggests moments where character development could have been richer, rather than relying on archetypes.
Second, the show occasionally leans into spectacle over subtlety. High-dramatic moments, explosions, confrontations at the funeral, quick turnarounds in loyalty—while thrilling—can feel familiar to seasoned crime-drama viewers and risk paradoxically reducing emotional surprise. The risk is that in chasing the big moments, the quieter, more introspective ones (which often deepen character investment) are sidelined. One trailer commentary described it as Netflix “taking betrayal to terrifying new levels.” That sets expectations for shocks; so when the shocks come, there’s the danger that they feel earned more by momentum than by genuine character evolution.
Thirdly, while the show does a credible job of embedding itself in Brazilian cultural context (with jogo do bicho, samba-school power, the city’s geography), for viewers not fluent in that context some of the background might feel murky. The way the illegal gambling economy ties into local political and social structures is interesting, but the show sometimes assumes the viewer knows the significance of these operations. While you don’t need a doctoral thesis on Rio’s underworld, a little more grounding might have helped international audiences fully grasp the depth of the stakes. Reviews note the framing of the ‘animal game’ as “a cultural institution deeply embedded in Brazil’s social fabric”. For viewers unfamiliar with that institution, some of the implicit tension may not hit quite as hard.
Despite these caveats, “Rulers of Fortune” succeeds in what it sets out to be: an audacious, cinematic, morally complex crime saga. The writing (by Bernardo Barcellos and Bruno Passeri) imbues the story with enough ambitions, and the direction (led by Heitor Dhalia) gives it a visual distinctiveness. The show’s central question — what price does one pay to climb the ladder of crime, and who really controls the lever of power? — resonates beyond its setting. The series’ tagline: “Power isn’t earned, it’s taken — and every alliance comes with a price.” This frames each episode’s tension: alliances shift, loyalties break, the margins breathe into the centre.
Thematically, the show handles power and legacy in interesting ways. Profeta is emblematic of the next generation; he’s neither entirely outsider nor fully insider, and this in-betweenness gives the show a fresh perspective. The older families represent systems that were built on rules of loyalty and tradition, but now are crumbling under external pressure (legalisation, changing economies, new attitudes). This ripple of change is well-rendered: the old ways of doing business in the underworld no longer guarantee dominance because the rules are being rewritten. One article emphasises that the internal codes—what’s considered “infraction” vs betrayal—are being upended. In other words, the show is not just about crime, it’s about transition and identity in a changing world.
In terms of tone, the show rarely shies away from its mature themes. The age rating is TV-MA; expect gun violence, gambling, strong language, sex and drug usage. That said, the use of such elements feels integrated to the world-building, rather than simply gratuitous. The violence and vice are parts of the ecosystem, not decorative. This lends the show a gritty realism: we’re not watching glamorised gangster life, but raw power struggles with human cost.
Another plus is the global accessibility: the series is available worldwide on Netflix from October 29 2025, with Portuguese audio and multilingual dubbing/subtitles. This gives it potential beyond Brazil; the production and storytelling are crafted to engage international viewers while retaining local identity.
To sum up: “Rulers of Fortune” may not completely reinvent the crime-drama wheel, but it delivers a robust, modern, high-quality entry in the genre, distinguished by its setting, ambition and layered character work. If you enjoy smart, stylised crime sagas with family intrigue, moral ambiguity and power games then this series will hit home. The show’s few shortcomings — somewhat brisk pacing in places, occasional reliance on tropes, and perhaps steep background for non-Brazilian viewers — are outweighed by its many strengths. It stands as a promising sign of Netflix Brazil’s willingness to compete on a global scale with well-crafted, audacious content.
If I were to rate it in qualitative terms: I’d say it lands with solid A-minus potential — a compelling watch, one whose full impact will depend on how subsequent episodes or seasons deepen the characters and expand the stakes. For now, it sets the table very nicely. If you decide to watch it, I’d recommend paying attention to the subtle dynamics in the family relationships (especially the sisters Suzana and Mirna), and noting how the city of Rio itself shapes the characters almost as much as the criminal plot does.
If you like, I can pull together a scene-by-scene breakdown of the pilot or provide a comparison with similar shows (like “Narcos” or “Gomorrah”) to see how “Rulers of Fortune” distinguishes itself.
