Elite Squad

                    Now that I'm back home from Hong Kong and Yangshuo in Gungxi Province, Mainland China, I've repopulated my Netflix queue, and Elite Squad arrived today. Released in 2007, <b>Elite Squad</b>, or as it was called in Brazil, <b>Tropa de Elite</b>, is about the Rio slums or favelas, and an elite squad of police called BOPE, whose mission is not so much law enforcement as it is the eradication of the drug lords that rule the favelas.<br><br><br>  <br> This is not a film for the sensitive or the faint hearted. From the extreme fire-fights in the streets of the favelas, to the brutal interrogation methods employed by the BOPE officers, to the downright excessive boot camp training of the BOPE candidates in which it is a good year if three out the 25 make the cut - the intensity level of this film starts at strong, and soon goes through the roof with hardly any down time at all.<br>  <br> The main character is Captain Nascimento played by <b>Wagner Moura</b>. He's married, with a kid on the way, and he is one mean-ass cop. He's doing his best and his wife wants him out of BOPE and into a less demanding and less dangerous line of work. Unfortunately, his line of work is more dangerous than almost any other because by the time BOPE is called in - things have already spun out of control.<br>  <br> He's got two guys who are already cops but they're trying to get into BOPE. Neto is played by <b>Caio Junqueiro</b>, has been assigned to supervise the motor pool after a disastrous night on the streets when his quick trigger finger got another cop or two killed by the drug crew. Only the motor pool is out of funds. One car is cannibalized so another might run, and headquarters hasn't any money for him. So he has to steal a payoff to get some cash to fix the cars. You won't believe who the money that he intercepts is intended for.<br>  <br> Matias played by <b>Andre Ramiro</b> is a cop and is also trying to become a lawyer. He joins a group of students in a favela, and his girl friend Maria (<b>Fernanda Machado</b>)is living in the same neighborhood as one of the most brutal of the drug lords, Baiano played by <b>Fabio Lago</b>. He hasn't told her that he is also a cop. Once the secret is out - people will start dying - and in ways almost too brutal to describe.<br>  <br> Both Neto and Matias make the cut for entrance into BOPE. So there's your set up. Three cops and a drug lord and his minions of street retailers of drugs, look-outs, and the gunmen that back them up. Directed by <b>Jose Padilha</b>, the film is dense, claustrophobic, as well as noisy. There's a lot of action at night, and the dialogues overlap, plus there is a grainy effect at night. Those things along with the jittery hand-held cameras that are utilized during the raids and ensuing fire-fights make the film a bit of work for the viewer.<br>  <br> But the payoff comes in the tension, the pressure, and the excitement. While some of the police were corrupt and in the pockets of Baiano and his ilk, and the residents of the favelas were living in an area where desperation and danger lurked around every corner created there by poverty, the murderous drug business, and the firefights with the BOPE. Director Padilha has left the beauty of the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches out of the film. We will see Sugar Loaf Mountain only so very briefly, and we don't see Christ the Redeemer standing tall above Rio from his perch atop Corcovado at all. The film isn't about Rio's highlights - instead it about the places where visitors are unlikely, or rather shouldn't go to.<br>  <br> There was a bit of controversy about this film. Many people felt that the BOPE tactics were as criminal as the activities of those who were their targets. Others said that the film sort of made those BOPE officers heroic while Nascimento was just as good at killing as Baiano and that was hardly heroic. You'll have to see the film yourself in order to decide what is the right answer to that question.<br>               

Last updated: 2011-11-17 07:11:49 by JustMeMike

"Elite Squad" (original title: "Tropa de Elite")... there’s been quite a lot of talk about this Brazilian film going around. The story had me interested from the start.

It tells about BOPE (Special Police Operation Battalion), and their captain Nascimento, who is also the narrator of the story.

It is filmed with substantial shaky cam use, which adds to the feeling of it being a documentary of some sort, and certainly adds to the feeling of confusion and chaos during the action sequences. Aside from the squad itself, through the character of captain Nascimento we what this kind of life, always stressful and full of danger can do to a man’s psyche and his family life. You got to admire the guys.

It’s nearing December 5th, and I’m kinda in the Punisher mood, because that’s when it premieres (well, in the USA at least. We Europeans will have to wait, of course), so I’m in the mood for the “badass cop/vigilante/special forces” type of films. And I can say I immensely enjoyed “The Elite Squad”. This review may not be long, but that’s because everything in the film – acting, screenplay, directing, music, cinematography – is OK.

You will only be disappointed if you expect too much action. Keep in mind, this is NOT an action film, it’s a drama about real people, and the way they cope with their everyday life. Which is avoiding bullets most of the time.

So, go see it, but please, skip the dubbed version. If you’re one of those “I don’t like to read subtitles” guys (or girls) chances are you won’t like this film in the first place. It’s got no explosions, and has lots of conversations, and requires too much thinking. However, if that doesn’t bother you, go right ahead.

Rating: 9/10

- review by Ventilation Shaft