Elite Squad (2007)

1997, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his occupation while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope comes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Director:

José Padilha

Writers:

André Batista (book), Bráulio Mantovani

Stars:

Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira

39 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wagner Moura	...	Capitão Nascimento
André Ramiro	...	Aspirante Matias
Caio Junqueira	...	Neto
Milhem Cortaz	...	Capitão Fábio
Fernanda Machado	...	Maria
Maria Ribeiro	...	Rosane
Paulo Vilela	...	Edu
Fernanda de Freitas	...	Roberta
André Felipe	...	Rodrigues (as André Mauro)
Fábio Lago	...	Claudio Mendes de Lima 'Baiano'
Erick Oliveira	...	Marcinho (as Erick Maximiano Oliveira)
Patrick Santos	...	Tinho
Rafael d'Avila	...	Xuxa
Roberta Santiago	...	Rose
Emerson Gomes	...	Xaveco

Storyline

In 1997, before the visit of the pope to Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento from BOPE (Special Police Operation Battalion) is assigned to eliminate the risks of the drug dealers in a dangerous slum nearby where the pope intends to be lodged. Captain Nascimento is trying to find a man to replace him because his wife is pregnant and he intends to quit the command and become a trainer of the new recruits. Meanwhile, the two idealistic friends Neto and Matias join the Military Police force expecting to become honest policemen and fight the criminals. However, they see only corruption, lack of competence and stupid bureaucracy in the Military Police, and after a serious incident in the Morro da Babilônia, they decide to join the BOPE. The lives of Capitain Nascimento, Neto and Matias are entwined along the next months, first in the tough training period and then in action against drug dealers. Nascimento believes that Neto could be his substitute, but his impulsive attitudes jeopardizes ...

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Plot Keywords:

police | military police | brazil | rio de janeiro brazil | slum | 

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Taglines:

On the streets of Rio only the elite survive.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Brazil] TFM Distribution [France]

Country:

Brazil USA Argentina

Language:

Portuguese

Release Date:

3 September 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Elite Squad

Filming Locations:

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,604 (USA) (19 September 2008)

Gross:

$8,060 (USA) (26 September 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zazen Produções, Posto 9, Feijão Filmes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the shooting of the film, a van with 90 firearms (30 real and 60 prop guns) was robbed in the hill of Chapéu Mangueira. Teams from the local police stormed the Favela Pavão-Pavãozinho, in Copacabana, to recover the guns, but the operation was only partially successful.

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Quotes

Coronel Otávio: Trainee, you're gonna do this report again. Look at this: "Body was found at the beach". Deaths at the beach, my son, are tallied as "drownings".
André Matias: But Commandant, the body had a bullet perforation.
Coronel Otávio: [shouting] And are you a coroner now?

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Connections

Referenced in Elysium (2013)

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Soundtracks

Shiny Happy People
Written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe
Performed by R.E.M.

User Reviews

Amazingly good... and horrifying

Tropa de Elite is an amazingly good film; by turns brutally real and horrifyingly hilarious.

It claims to be based on a true story and I find that sadly believable. The main plot revolves around the captain of an elite police unit trying to find a replacement for himself, while dealing with the birth of his child and the horrendous stress of his job, and a mission to clear out a dangerously violent slum.

There are no wholly good people in the movie, and it's frighteningly easy to compare some of what goes on to things happening in the USA (and other places) today. That said, the system of government and policing portrayed comes across as so amazingly inept and awful that it's almost like something straight out of a nightmarish sci-fi dystopia.

If I had to compare it to other movies, it comes off as a cross between Brazil, Office Space, and Full Metal Jacket. Not for the weak of stomach, and you may find yourself greatly disagreeing with the ideals of various groups portrayed (which I believe is part of the point), but I would be enormously surprised if this movie doesn't make you think and give you something to talk about.