Customer Reviews

Elite Squad

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I loved this movie. It was largely panned by American critics, never even making it to American theaters, except for maybe one or two in NYC (none in LA).

The film provided a valid, complex viewpoint of some of the problems that modern-day Brazil faces. If you look at comments of reviews of this film on major publications' web sites (like NYTimes, LA Times, etc), you will see that the overwhelming majority of comments are from Brazilians who: 1) loved the movie, and 2) stated that the movie got the situation right.

The film shows the point of view of patriotic police officers that want to do right by their country, although they are confounded by their fellow police officers, the well-armed drug dealers, the bought-off constituents of the slums (favelas), as well as the leftist middle class that excoriates the police on the one hand for its heavy handed tactics as well as its corruption while at the same time sustaining the local drug lords by buying their product.

It is the film's viewpoint towards the leftist middle class that I think doomed the film to never get a proper showing in the US. That, and the fact that this "honest" police force feels obligated (and in the eyes of some in the viewing public, justified) to use extra-judicial, heavy handed tactics to get results in fighting crime.

SEE THIS FILM!

Wow, what a great movie! Let me first say that I am extremely picky about movies and have found myself watching fewer and fewer as time goes by, mostly because most movies now seem to be boring and pointless. So when I do, on a rare occassion, enjoy a movie, for me it is unusual. I didn't just enjoy this movie though, I loved it. In fact, I did that rarest of things I watched it twice!

This movie focuses on the efforts of an elite Brazilian police unit in Rio and their efforts to reduce drug-related crimes. It is violent, compelling, entertaining and a first-class movie experience. Why? Because this movie avoids all the stereotypes of other cops versus drug-dealer movies, especially the simplified good guys vs. bad guys Hollywood take. It is also surprising and rewarding to see the drug war through the eyes of Brazilian culture as opposed to an American view.

The movie focuses on two young policemen, their experiences in the corrupt local police force, and their progression into joining the ranks of BOPE, the "Elite Squad" of the movie title. It is narrated by Captain Nascimento, the leader of a BOPE squad who is desperately trying to find a replacement for himself because after ten years in BOPE the stress and tension is causing him severe physical reactions, and he longs to spend time with his wife and newly born son.

This movie is AWESOME for two reasons I believe. One is that the voice of Nascimento is compelling and beautifully haunting; just listening to him speak in Portuguese as the movie plays will send shivers and chills through your body. Do not ever, ever, get a dubbed version of this movie, it would destroy the magic here. The second reason is that the movie is so highly realistic. All the characters are complex, three-dimensional, believable human beings, and their actions, reactions, and motivations are all perfectly in sync with their characters. There are no wrong, silly, or false notes played in this movie, it all rings true. The drug-dealers (trafficants) and believable, the corrupt police force is ultra-believable because the movie shows why they are corrupt, and the BOPE officers, shown through Nascimento, are completely believable as they struggle against both their corrupt peers and the desperate trafficants. This is no silly, Hollywood shoot 'em up, this is the real deal and it is my favorite movie this year. It's going into my top ten movies ever list.

The movie is quite violent, so it will appeal to action movie fans, but more than that, it is a social movie.

I was born and raised in Rio, close to one of the many favelas in that city.

Years ago, I attended the same university one of the characters in the movie did. The students there are accurately depicted. They are upper middle class students that preach peace and social services, but while doing that, they also smoke pot. When I didn't see any problems at the time, but now, I can see the hypocrisy of preaching peace, but also financing the violence by smoking pot.

I also have a really good high school friend that's a Capitain now in the PM (Military Policy). He's not part of that Elite Squad, but he's an honest cop. So while severly underpaid, there ARE honest cops out there.

Not really a movie review, but a rant, but this movie was quite realistic and nostalgic for me.

This movie makes any Samuel L. Jackson movie seem like a chick flick. Awesome gun fights and a great plot full of surprises. Really depicts the everyday life o the members of the elite squad. Lots of strong content, you might wanna consider watching this without any kids around.

Tropa de Elite ('Elite Troop') is a film portraying the retirement of one soldier (most police in Brazil are military and are better described as 'soldiers' than 'police officers') and the recruitment of two more into the BOPE (Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais - 'Police Special Operations Battalion'), an elite, semi-autonomous branch of the Policia Militar of Rio de Janeiro. Several American critics, on reviewing the film, were horrified to find that it seemed, in the words of Variety magazine, to be a 'recruitment video for fascism.' And they're right. That's exactly what the film seems to be, and that is precisely the intention of the director. Now, it would be a great mistake to believe that the film actually is such a recruitment video: the director, José Padilha,

is about as predisposed to produce fascist recruitment material as Ghandi would be . However, the director is definitely inviting us to see Brazil's favelas not from the typical viewpoint of middle-class sociologists and journalists, but from the viewpoint of the BOPE, a police battalion which is a disturbing mix of elite military strike force (like the SAS or the Navy Seals), secret police force (like the Gestapo or KGB) and religious cult, worshipping fanatically the ideal of the patriotic, incorruptible police soldier.

I noticed that one reviewer of Tropa de Elite, evidently expecting a Hollywood-style action film, was disappointed that the BOPE did not appear to have any of the high-tech equipment one would associate with elite military forces. That reviewer can rest assured that the real BOPE do in fact use such equipment, and a member of the BOPE on operations looks much like a member of any elite force: military helmet, body armor, nightvision goggles and the like. Added to the balaclavas that real BOPE soldiers wear to obscure their identities, the real-life BOPE gear presents a fearsome appearance reminiscent of some killing machine out of science fiction. In the fictional presentation of BOPE in the film, however, the BOPE soldiers are stripped of their gear and put into more normal police-style uniforms, allowing us to see the men beneath the gear. And this is really what the film is about. We see the human faces behind the elite death squads and are forced to confront the fact that these are real, moral beings, with loves, desires and concerns just like ours. We see them as nervous fathers, young men with crushes, loyal friends, and men with dreams of a better life, not just as psychotic terminators that we can summarily dismiss from our moral radar.

And as we are drawn into the viewpoint of these men, we come to the real thrust of the film: we come face-to-face with the fact that their viewpoint is not born of the delusions of half-crazed psychotic fascists, but rather of the frustrations of men who believe passionately in saving their country but who are prevented from doing so through any of the more legitimate channels, all of which have become so corrupt as to be little more than a joke. I don't think that we are being invited to agree with the viewpoint of the BOPE soldiers, but we are being invited to move away from the superficial moralizing of the middle-class students portrayed in the film, and instead confront the harsh reality of the Brazilian favelas, a reality that is not amenable to easy answers or quick fixes.

If you're up for great acting, a solid script and character-driven drama that addresses social issues in a way that really makes you think, then Tropa de Elite might be exactly what you're looking for. If, however, you're looking for something that will provide a clear-cut, black and white account of violence in Brazil, without challenging your moral viewpoint, then give this one a miss.

Elite Squad is one of the best movies ever about the dark side of urban life. Not just a movie about Rio, it addresses the brute reality of police institutions in any big city: that cops have to do the dirty job that society won't do (but needs someone to). As importantly, it reveals how one of the roots of urban violence lies in the hypocrisy of middle/upper classes as the main clients of drug trafficking.

Some say it is an ode to police heroism, while others complain that it romanticizes paramilitary fascism. As a secondary issue, it is no more violent than Robocop or Rambo, just more realistic, so I don't understand why all the fuss by media (such as NYT critic) and mainstream viewers...

I won't be surprised if Elite Squad wins an Oscar or similar awards. Don't miss this out!

First off I'm an American that also speaks Portuguese. I was first introduced to this film when I was in Brazil. I didn't really expect much from it, because the only Brazilian cinema I had seen before was there novellas (soap operas) and they were terrible. I was blown away though when I watched this movie. The acting is amazing, and the movie is so real. If you want an over the top movie your better off with SWAT or the A-team, but if you want to watch a real movie that is not over the top this is a great movie. It's just a shame Americans are so use to watching movies in English (non dubbed) Because this is a movie every American should watch. You can look at the drug war in Mexico, and see how over seven thousand people have died in the last few years, so rich Americans can smoke a joint. I never really thought to much about that sort of thing until I watched this movie. I don't by into the crap that this movie supports fascism this movie is just telling it as it is. That being said Brazil is a great country and isn't a dangerous place as long as you avoid certain areas. All the time I have spent there I have never felt threaten or endangered. The people there are loving and caring and have warm hearts. In closing I just want to say this movie is a movie that will make you think, if you do buy this and you are an American the best way to watch this movie is in Portuguese the acting is amazing use English subtitles. I would advise yo not to watch this movie with English dubbing. This movie has one of the worst dubbing jobs I have heard. One example is when they are outside it sounds like they are in an small cemented room. The dubbing turns this movie from being a great action drama to a comedy. Other than that enjoy the movie.

Don't be fooled by the mediocre title; this film ranks with "Battle of Algiers" in quality. Excellent performances by Wagner Moura (Nascimento), Andre Remiro (Matias) and Caio Junqueira (Neto)as BOPE police commandos; intense directing; and an intricate, absorbing story with just the right combination of dark humor, social irony, character development and realistic violence. The "texture" of this film is simply terrific: It has a gritty immediacy that captures the barely controlled chaos of Rio's slums, and the energy and contradictions of Brazilian life, in an extraordinary way -- but without political sermonizing. From start to finish, "Elite Squad" is riveting and intelligent. Not for the delicate, but definitely one of the best movies I've seen in the last decade.

I'd heard a lot about this movie, so I was excited when the English version was released. The film is very different from your average "cop drama", it depicts a world and a life that is the embodiment of brutish, nasty, and short where the traditional roles of "good cop bad cop" are both sharply defined and extremely vague.

The acting is excellent, and the filming is amazing. If one can stomach the violence it is a must have.

This is a great movie that really explores different issues in Brazilian society. It may be slightly violent, but it captures the realities of many people in Rio de Janeiro. Keep in mind, this movie does not represent Brazil, but it is a problem that is part of society and that should be dealt with. Brazil is a beautiful country!