Under the party and glamour of Brazil, breeds an underworld of drugs violence and corruption. The Elite Squad are the police storm troopers who are assigned to clean up the run down areas. But in a country where the police are just as corrupt as the drug dealers and gangs this is no easy task, and extream tactics have to put in place, with the shoot first ask questions later policy being a priority. I was recomended this movie by a Brazilian work colleague, who basicaly told me that the Brazil we see is not the Brazil that he was brought up in, and this movies portrail is very accurate. The film is a breathless, and shocking account of every day life in the slums and run down areas. It's well directed with scenes of all too realistic casual violence, and well staged shoot outs, but always having an all to real grip on reality. Although subtitled, this does not destract from the film, and at times feels like your watching a documentary.
If you want something different from the… more »

Under the party and glamour of Brazil, breeds an underworld of drugs violence and corruption. The Elite Squad are the police storm troopers who are assigned to clean up the run down areas. But in a country where the police are just as corrupt as the drug dealers and gangs this is no easy task, and extream tactics have to put in place, with the shoot first ask questions later policy being a priority. I was recomended this movie by a Brazilian work colleague, who basicaly told me that the Brazil we see is not the Brazil that he was brought up in, and this movies portrail is very accurate. The film is a breathless, and shocking account of every day life in the slums and run down areas. It's well directed with scenes of all too realistic casual violence, and well staged shoot outs, but always having an all to real grip on reality. Although subtitled, this does not destract from the film, and at times feels like your watching a documentary.
If you want something different from the glossy sheae of Hollywood produced crime thrillers, try going a little south of the border, and hunt down this blistering and intelligent thriller.

I saw this film at its UK premiere during the Edinburgh Film Festival and was blown away by how good it is. It is one of the few films i have seen that has managed to draw me in completely. The story is excellent as it shows the difficult and often unbelievable situation that exists in the favelas of Rio. The film manages to evoke many different emotions from shock at the tactics used by the police to sorrow and sympathy for the mental trauma that both they, the drug dealers and citizens of Rio endure on a daily basis. The film follows two young police officers who want to join BOPE and as it progresses, shows the change they must go through to become part of the unit. They lose part of their humanity as they become more involved and intertwined with BOPE and the fight against drugs. At first, my personl feeling was that the actions of the police are heavy-handed and cruel and although I still think this, I feel that it is in result an opposite and possibly equal reaction to the… more »

I saw this film at its UK premiere during the Edinburgh Film Festival and was blown away by how good it is. It is one of the few films i have seen that has managed to draw me in completely. The story is excellent as it shows the difficult and often unbelievable situation that exists in the favelas of Rio. The film manages to evoke many different emotions from shock at the tactics used by the police to sorrow and sympathy for the mental trauma that both they, the drug dealers and citizens of Rio endure on a daily basis. The film follows two young police officers who want to join BOPE and as it progresses, shows the change they must go through to become part of the unit. They lose part of their humanity as they become more involved and intertwined with BOPE and the fight against drugs. At first, my personl feeling was that the actions of the police are heavy-handed and cruel and although I still think this, I feel that it is in result an opposite and possibly equal reaction to the crime and conditions that they must face. The police in Rio are under-funded and it is no wonder that they are corrupt. This film shows that brilliantly but I do wish that it had shown more of the life of the drug world and how horrible that can be. After the screening, the director of the film heald a short question and answers session where he stated how Brazil had reacted to his film. He told us how the film had become so popular that he was threatened with arrest by the Chief of police in Rio which resulted in uproar from the public. This resulted in the mayor of Rio being forced to fire him or risk losing support himself. When I first heard of this film and was told that it would be the next City of God, I was a little more than sceptical. However, after watching it, I would recommend it to anyone and would say without any hesitation that it is equally as good and evocative as the City of God.