Featured Audience Ratings

• Michael S

  
  This is documentary-style filmmaking at it's most raw and forceful; it'll hit you like a freight train! "Elite Squad" is a landmark of Brazilian cinema. Picking up where "City of God" left off, this film inhabits the same world as that masterpiece but… More
  This is documentary-style filmmaking at it's most raw and forceful; it'll hit you like a freight train! "Elite Squad" is a landmark of Brazilian cinema. Picking up where "City of God" left off, this film inhabits the same world as that masterpiece but plays by it's own rules and has a fresh new perspective to share. The constant comparisons are almost unjust considering what a singular effort Director Padhilha's movie is. It's got a sense of tension and urgency that most Hollywood action pictures yearn for.

• Al S

  
  An excellent and spectacularly entertaining movie. It`s truly terrific to watch and dose not get boring for a minute and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It packs a pure power-punch of intensity that knocks you flat out with its explosive action, strong performances and brutal… More
  An excellent and spectacularly entertaining movie. It`s truly terrific to watch and dose not get boring for a minute and keeps you on the edge of your seat. It packs a pure power-punch of intensity that knocks you flat out with its explosive action, strong performances and brutal honesty. Movies don't get more real or more powerful than this. A masterpiece. Director, Jose Padilha crafts an stylish, dark and gripping police drama like no other. A groundbreaking achievement that earns it`s right to be called a classic. A heart-pounding action-packed thrill-ride that's loaded with pulse-pounding drama and thunderous gun-battles that take you to the limit. A total adrenaline-rush from start to finish. A hard-boiled and exhilarating piece of work that deserves attention. It shows that grim reality of gang-related violence, inner city and police politics that the necessary evil they need to achieve their objectives. The cast is extraordinary. Wagner Moura gives a powerful and sensational performance. I loved this movie. It rocks and rocks profoundly.

• Luke B

  
  In the slums of Rio de Janeiro drugs are the currency of choice and the police are in on the action, but when things get really bad it is the job of the Elite Squad to go in and sort out the mess. We follow Captain Nascimento who is struggling to find a replacement as he wishes to… More
  In the slums of Rio de Janeiro drugs are the currency of choice and the police are in on the action, but when things get really bad it is the job of the Elite Squad to go in and sort out the mess. We follow Captain Nascimento who is struggling to find a replacement as he wishes to quick for when he becomes a father. Two of the potential new recruits are Matias, a dedicated law student and Neto, a headstrong cop stuck working as a mechanic. The film is a brutal look at the hellish lives in the slums, as well as the danger the police put themselves through everyday. We see the Elite Squad, known as BOPE, acting incredibly tough and shooting to kill, but we never once doubt their methods. The film is a thrilling ride, but it is hampered by what seems like a hastily added voice-over which explains everything that is going on, making long periods of the film sound like an audiobook. It also feels like the first chapter of a much larger story, which in a way is a good sign as it left me wanting much, much more.I enjoyed every single character but I really do think the two new recruits should have been the focus throughout.

• xGary X

  
  A pair of young recruits join Rio De Janeiro's police "Elite Squad" and are given the task of cleaning up a gang controlled slum before a papal visit. Infernal Affairs meets Full Metal Jacket in this Brazilian crime drama about a police unit that's a cross between… More
  A pair of young recruits join Rio De Janeiro's police "Elite Squad" and are given the task of cleaning up a gang controlled slum before a papal visit. Infernal Affairs meets Full Metal Jacket in this Brazilian crime drama about a police unit that's a cross between SWAT, Internal Affairs and the Gestapo. Matias' transition from idealistic law student to trigger happy storm trooper has some parallels with Michael Corleone's from The Godfather but I'm not 100% sure that the irony was intended by Padhila. The BOPE squad is shown as a bunch of jackbooted thugs who are the only ones who are incorruptible in the face drug money but at the same time their immoral methods make Guantanomo look all warm and fuzzy in comparison. It has a brutal realism in a similar style to City Of God, but it's missing the heart and likeable characters that made you care what happened to them. Its blase attitude toward some pretty distasteful fascistic attitudes may be a little hard to swallow but it has gritty action aplenty and some pretty powerful scenes. A sequel showing the story from the point of view of civilians caught in the crossfire could be fantastic.

• Cynthia S

  
  For some reason, I just couldn't get into this movie. It was well done, but just too much craziness going on for me, I guess.

• Pierluigi P

  
  If I was going to judge a film only by my moral standpoint I'd say this is another pamphlet that tries to convince people that the only answer to deal with crime is to turn into a neo-fascist robot and crush it from its marrow, the same way central characters have done in some… More
  If I was going to judge a film only by my moral standpoint I'd say this is another pamphlet that tries to convince people that the only answer to deal with crime is to turn into a neo-fascist robot and crush it from its marrow, the same way central characters have done in some classic thrillers like "the french connection" or "dirty harry"? making an apology for the unmeasured use of force. But as a regular moviegoer I think this extremely graphic and repulsive dialectical exposition is also absorbent, put me there, right in those crummy battle fields of rio. The war with no truce and the corruption inside the system are shown in an unapologetic documentary style, maybe not alluring to reason, but certainly to my guts.

• Emil K

  
  This is one ugly and disgusting propaganda film made by fascists who love guns, violence and war. At times it nearly screams to it's audience: "enroll now, we in the military police department are tough and mean fuckers!!!" Rarely have i seen something this awful and… More
  This is one ugly and disgusting propaganda film made by fascists who love guns, violence and war. At times it nearly screams to it's audience: "enroll now, we in the military police department are tough and mean fuckers!!!" Rarely have i seen something this awful and the truth that it has won many prizes and is widely applauded by audiences, makes me think that what kind of a humans can acually overlook it's sadistic and militaristic approach and say that it is a entertaining film. For me there is nothing entertaining in the fact that police forces in Rio De Janeiro are using their power only to satisfy their own sick needs. Final image where so called "hero" of the story shoots the bad guy in the face with a shotgun, sums up perfectly the message of this film. Fuck yeah, indeed!

• Dean !

  
  A very good film, although I had hoped for something a little bit more after the trailer. It's more of an action/drama dealing with the drug trade in the slums of Rio in Brazil. It has a good story and is well made and shot with a fair share of brutal, violent action scenes.… More
  A very good film, although I had hoped for something a little bit more after the trailer. It's more of an action/drama dealing with the drug trade in the slums of Rio in Brazil. It has a good story and is well made and shot with a fair share of brutal, violent action scenes. Almost feels like a documentary at times it has that raw feel about it. From the same director as the City of God.

• Stuart B

  
  Excellent movie. Great acting and story. A movie about Brazils BOPE and the favela in Rio. The harsh reality is that this could almost be a documentary of everyday life there.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"On the streets of Rio only the elite survive."</i> 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. <center><font size=+2… More
  <i>"On the streets of Rio only the elite survive."</i> 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. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Rumor has it that until this film Brazilian cinema tended to portray criminals as endearing types cleverer than police. "Elite Squad" pulls no punches: Cops can be as corrupt as criminals. Such candor has seldom been seen since "Serpico" in long gone 1974. Sadly, profit-seeking films increasingly replace human beings with cost-cutting special effects in tune with our age of technological brainwashing. At least in "Elite Squad" human beings still feel human, however unpleasant they might be. The central figure is Captain Nascimento who has no qualms about torturing or killing criminals and corrupt cops are especially not safe from him. He sees himself as the ideal leader but he is disintegrating under stress and has a glorified vision of his powers which he cannot quite reproduce with his wife at home. Human rights groups will have a field day listing all the violations - but survival is crucial in the nether world, be it Rio or any other place on the planet. Despite its violence and amorality this film has highly effective moments of comic relief. I would like to praise the excellent direction by José Padilha and the generally superb acting, with special plaudits for Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira and Andre Ramiro in the central roles.

• Gordon A

  
  Punchy urban drama set in the favelas of Rio analysing the desperate struggle to survive on all sides of the law. Poverty is the driving force for most immorality but the rich 'playboys' fare little better. Uneasy but thought provoking viewing.

• Phil H

  
  Alittle disappointed with this one, I thought it would be much more violent and have tons of action as that's what the trailer and look of the DVD cover kinda impresses on you. I also watched it cos its made by the same man who made 'City of God' which is a fearsome… More
  Alittle disappointed with this one, I thought it would be much more violent and have tons of action as that's what the trailer and look of the DVD cover kinda impresses on you. I also watched it cos its made by the same man who made 'City of God' which is a fearsome flick. Its very harsh and gritty looking, the slums of Brazil look menacing and tense, a lethal concrete jungle of crackheads and trigger happy cops where life is more than cheap. The cast are all excellent and the action scenes are all top notch and sweat inducing, problem is there just isn't quite enough of that. You tend to get abit bored and start to yearn for some brutal gangland gun battles (maybe with gangs of gun totting scroats hehe). I know that sounds bad but its just what you expect after 'City of God'. The scenes that do involve the 'elite squad' almost look like sequences from the Rainbow 6 Xbox games :) they are all in black and move in their tactical patterns taking out one perp after another, very cool but not enough of it. Anyway it looks great, you can almost smell the alley odours and taste the drugs being abused, just not as good as COG.

• El Hombre I

  
  Some of the stylistic elements may feel a little over-familiar by now, but Tropa de Elite is intelligent, energetic, and immensely watchable. The film narrates the progress of two new police recruits, still with integrity and yet to be exposed to the corruption on which Rio's… More
  Some of the stylistic elements may feel a little over-familiar by now, but Tropa de Elite is intelligent, energetic, and immensely watchable. The film narrates the progress of two new police recruits, still with integrity and yet to be exposed to the corruption on which Rio's police service functions, through corruption, compromise and backhanding in order to clean up a slum area in the period leading up to a papal visit. The film itself is very strong carrying good actors, performances, great pacing and excitement, and it manages to give a strong feeling of reality. Tropa De Elite paints a bleak picture of the police in Rio de Janeiro, but it does seem firmly rooted on the side of the elite police. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=tropa-de-elite.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/tropa-de-elite.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Mike S

  
  This has been referred to as City of God 2, and you don't have to get very far into it to understand why. Beyond the instantly obvious fact that it takes place in the same city, namely Rio De Janeiro, it also depicts the same dark and brutal side of it. What separates the two,… More
  This has been referred to as City of God 2, and you don't have to get very far into it to understand why. Beyond the instantly obvious fact that it takes place in the same city, namely Rio De Janeiro, it also depicts the same dark and brutal side of it. What separates the two, however, is that this one is shown from the perspective of the police and their elite squads, as opposed to the criminals and children of the slums. While other films of similiar nature may go into black and white, this is a story that reflect things the way they really are, as in sticking hauntingly close to reality and being honest with the audience. The more of it you watch, the more you also appreciate that you don't live in as crime-laden and violent of a society. For that reason and more, I'd really recommend this, especially to those who've seen the above-mentioned movie.

• Stella D

  
  funny, sad, tough and scary. u may not like what u see but it will make u think. the last 30 mins are as intense as anything in city of god

• Walter M

  
  With a familiar oversaturated color scheme, "Elite Squad" is a wildly uneven movie with a plot, such as it is, about the ineffective and bumbling police force that never goes into the slums in Rio de Janeiro, that takes almost forever to kick in. These same slums are bereft… More
  With a familiar oversaturated color scheme, "Elite Squad" is a wildly uneven movie with a plot, such as it is, about the ineffective and bumbling police force that never goes into the slums in Rio de Janeiro, that takes almost forever to kick in. These same slums are bereft of social services, leaving drug lords like Baiano(Fabio Lago) to provide and cut deals with NGO's. Overall, this would have worked best as black comedy in detailing the tragicomedy of corruption in the regular police and brutality in the paramilitary BOPE who are more interested in killing criminals and clearing out a slum, so the Pope can get a good night's rest, than in protecting the populace. After all, the movie has the perfect straight man in the square-jawed Captain Nascimento(Wagner Moura), about to become a father, who shoots first and tortures later. Regretfully, he is the narrator and sets the tone and agenda. For this reason, it should come as no surprise that the police are not very much liked(For some reason, there seems to be a direct relationship between how well-armed a group is and their sensitivity to criticism.) in a law class that Matias(Andre Ramiro), a new recruit, attends, not telling the others, especially Maria(Fernanda Machado), about his day job. With so many things going bad in the world around them, can you blame people for wanting to smoke a little pot?

• Lesley N

  
  Dealing with the complexities from the other side of the track , this tells the story of Captain Nascimento's search for his replacement in Rio's elite police squad, BOPE. A compliment to City of God, and a good film, but I prefered the latter.

• Jonny C

  
  Very good police drama from Brazil. The Elite Squad is stylishly directed, very harsh, and well acted. It's about two childhood friends who decide to enlist in Rio's Military Police Department. After juggling their police jobs and college, both make up their minds to try out… More
  Very good police drama from Brazil. The Elite Squad is stylishly directed, very harsh, and well acted. It's about two childhood friends who decide to enlist in Rio's Military Police Department. After juggling their police jobs and college, both make up their minds to try out for a Special Operations Squad whose mission is to take down the drug-lords that plague the city. So don't be put off by it's cheesy title as it's anything but that.

• Kyle S

  
  A brutal and powerful film. Along with City of God, this is one of the films that put Brazil on the map as far as filmmaking is concerned.

• John M

  
  The Film is not as visually stunning as say "City of God" but the cinematography is still rather good. The story is well paced and always moving and the acting is good. The script and direction was excellent, as well as, the performances. The action is extreme and… More
  The Film is not as visually stunning as say "City of God" but the cinematography is still rather good. The story is well paced and always moving and the acting is good. The script and direction was excellent, as well as, the performances. The action is extreme and realistic.

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