The acting... is what it is. These are not actors; they are types. Jorge Neto (Rato) commits fully to the madness, and it works. The rest range from effectively stoic to wooden.

Director Luís Ismael continues to shoot Porto like a film noir set in a sewer. The night photography is grainy and oppressive—intentionally so. However, the sound mixing remains a persistent problem for this franchise. Dialogue is often swallowed by ambient noise or the jarring electronic score. You will spend a good portion of the film asking, "What did he say?"

The story picks up where the third film left off, following the traumatized and grotesque characters (Rato, Kaxada, and the silent giant China) as they try to survive a new criminal scheme involving a mysterious suitcase. The plot, however, is merely a hanger for the film’s real intention: reuniting the old gang for one last chaotic night in the gritty streets of Porto.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)

Where the film succeeds is in its stubborn refusal to become mainstream. In an era where Portuguese cinema was leaning heavily into gentle comedies ( Ponto Final ) or art-house dramas, Balas e Bolinhos 4 remains proudly ugly. The production design is filthy in the best way. The dialogue is soaked in Porto slang that feels genuinely street-level, not written by a screenwriter who took a taxi through the neighborhood once.

Worse, the film drags. What worked as a tight 80-minute gut punch now stretches to nearly two hours. There are long sequences of characters walking, staring, or engaging in repetitive shouting matches that feel like filler. The dark humor, once sharp and unexpected, sometimes lands with a dull thud of nihilism.