Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite)

Directed by José Padilha, with Bráulio Mantovani (City of God) as one of the writers, based on the book by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two BOPE officers, Major André Batista and Captain Rodrigo Pimentel. Won the Golden Berlin Bear award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival.

Captain Nascimento from BOPE, the most elite unit in the Military Police of the state of Rio de Janeiro, was aiming for retirement and in order to do that, he had to find his replacement. Since the Pope was coming to Rio and there was a special operation going on to secure the visit, Captain Nascimento had to find his replacement fast, and he had got to find the perfect one. During this, the fates of two childhood friends got intertwined. They were Neto and Matias, two idealistic rookies who joined the Military Police, hoping to do good, fight criminals, and uphold justice. Unfortunately, the corrupt system was far beyond what they were hoping for.

I just love it when a film starts with good shots and a loud music. It stands out, it sends a message, it keeps the spirit up. Since the verdict of whether the film sucks or not won't be known until later, it is good to prep up your audience, start with a bang. Tropa de Elite was dynamic, fast, brutal, smartly packaged. It's a well crafted blood-pumping experience. Even though it used the narration of Captain Nascimento, seen from his point of view, the character that grew the most and was most focused on was probably Matias. It is just unbelievable (and sometimes fascinating) to see the conditions of the slums of Rio. Do these things really happen over there? Is it that bad? I have no idea. The same theme was brought up in City of God, but these two films are on a different level. Both are packed, alive and thrilling, but City of God has more soul. However, this one is not just an action movie, I'm sure it is more than that. The main character, Captain Nascimento, might not be your typical hero. He sure was troubled. Quite a pain to see such a character, but that's the point: he delivered. Wagner Moura played the character well.. even though he reminded me too much of Gerard Way. He should be the inspiration for Gerard Way.. or is it vice versa? ;p Anyway, I thought this was a great film, packed with action, a dash of perfectly placed humor, yet still had that side of humanity. The loud music at the start lived up to the expectations.

8 / 10.