Special Review
This review was requested by Discord user vehemetiPolygoniae. If you'd like to join the server, click the button below. Visit DiscordAfter attending Oxford University, up-and-coming filmmaker José Padilha started his production company, Zazen Produções, in 1997 with classmate Marcos Prado. Padilha’s first film was the 2002 documentary Bus 174, about a bus hijacking in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning numerous awards and ending up on several best film lists. However, the film was not without controversy, some feeling that Padilha was sympathizing with the criminals and demonizing the police. For his next film, Padilha turned to Elite da Tropa, a book about the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (BOPE). The BOPE are essentially the Brazilian equivalent of the American SWAT, only they’re considered more aggressive and brutal. Rodrigo Pimentel, who co-wrote the original book, penned the script with Padilha and City of God writer Bráulio Mantovani. Despite being leaked online before release, Elite Squad was released in October 2007.
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Rating
Synopsis
In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) is an elite BOPE officer who’s looking for a replacement. Not only is the stress getting to him, but his wife Rosane (Maria Ribeiro) is pregnant with their first child. Coincidentally, BOPE is putting together an operation to secure the slums at Morro do Turano in preparation for the Pope. Meanwhile, longtime friends André Matias (André Ramiro) and Neto Gouveia (Caio Junqueira) join the police force, unaware of the corruption. Turns out the majority of the police force is paying off the local gangs, extorting protection money, and even stealing. Seeing the corruption firsthand, Matias and Neto decide to join BOPE alongside Captain Fabio (Milhem Cortaz), who’s a corrupt cop. Despite a gruesome training course, Matias and Neto pass, making Nascimento confident in finding a suitable replacement. However, all that training can’t prepare our heroes for what’s coming.
Review
Elite Squad has divided audiences since its release, and it’s easy to see why it earned such controversy. Every criminal is treated as the lowest form of scum and the BOPE are seen as good and virtuous. Additionally, the police aren’t shown in the brightest light, either screwing over each other or turning a blind eye. However, the point the film is trying to get across is how life in Rio de Janeiro can be unforgiving. It shows how a broken system can lead to violence and corruption, and how extreme measures must be taken. While we’re shown the BOPE taking out drug dealers, there’s also a grey moral area to what they do. We see them torturing suspects, verbally and physically assaulting people, and kill criminals and cops without a second thought. It makes you question just who the real good guys are.
In terms of filmmaking, some might be put off by the shakiness of the handheld camera and quick-cut editing. Still, this helps add a sense of intensity and uneasiness throughout, putting you right in the middle of the action. You start to feel just how on-edge and stressed-out the characters are with how up-close and personal the film gets. In a way, it’s somewhat similar to RoboCop, but here it’s presented in a more realistic and less fantastical setting. It’s easy to see how this launched Padilha into superstardom as a director and how he moved onto bigger projects. Acting-wise, everyone delivers an excellent performance, with Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, and Caio Junqueira easily giving the best performances. As stated before, you’ll either love or hate this film depending on your ideologies, but regardless, it’s still powerful. Overall, Elite Squad is an engaging and haunting depiction of life in Brazil.
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