An elite police squad tackles drug gangs in Rio De Janeiro by shooting first and asking questions later. Making his first non-documentary feature, Padilha appears to be in over his head. He comes from the shaky camera school of directing, a school that should lose its accreditation. To simulate urgency, the hand-held camera is continually moving and there is rapid cutting. Instead of urgency or excitement, it creates confusion and nausea. Although a couple of the writers worked on the excellent "City of God," the script for this one is atrocious. Given the bad script, ugly characters, poor acting, and terrible direction, this is basically unwatchable.
Review of Elite Squad
