Nothing is clear-cut in this intense brew of brutality, stupidity and genuine tragedy. We’re left lamenting that it will go on, unless Brazil engages its brain before its fist.
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08/08/08
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Elite Squad (2008)
53
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:18
Rotten:16
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: Brutal, action heavy, Brazilian cop film with a pointless voiceover. Lacks flair, overdoes the violence and is never quite sure where its morals lie.
Theatrical Release:2008
Synopsis: One of the most notorious releases in the history of Brazilian cinema, Jose Padilha's ELITE SQUAD exposes the rampant corruption plaguing Rio de Janeiro from a policeman's point of view. The only... [More]
Starring: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Director: José Padilha
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Reviews for Elite Squad
Subtle shades of friendship are lost in a melee of violence, which quickly crescendos and then maintains a one-note intensity for the duration of the film, punctuated only by an ill-advised narratorial voice that serves to keep the viewer at arm's length.
06/13/08
Padilha gets as close to the daily violence as City of God, though this feels more like a documentary than an epic.
08/08/08
An action-drama that's fascinating for its insights into Rio's social structures. But while it's compellingly intense, it's also morally muddled.
08/08/08
It bears a resemblance to viscerally exciting seventies urban thrillers like The French Connection, in which only the fascists could do what needed to be done.
09/15/08
Top CriticTrying to address important and serious social issues in this violent world rather than just creating something sensationalistic or exploitative gives Elite Squad an edge over normal police thrillers.
09/18/08
Elite Squad succeeds at putting the worst of the violent spectacles on screen, primarily through a series of nicely staged shootouts and torture sequences.
09/17/08
[José Padilha] recariously pitches the squad's brute force as less a necessary evil than the outgrowth of an existing evil -- a no-win situation that mocks liberal ideals and warps conservative pragmatism into domestic terrorism.
09/17/08
Top CriticYou'll swear you smell gunpowder during the earthshaking gunfights of "Elite Squad." Forget John Woo's Hong Kong, or Sergio Leone's West. With bullet-slinging gusto, director Jose Padilha ("Bus 174") proudly pronounces Rio de Janeiro the bloodiest onscree
06/22/08
Padilha’s style, honed in his hijack documentary Bus 174, is verismo with a vengeance. For two hours the viewer feels as hand-held as the camera, hauled about by the neck.
08/08/08
Pois é infinitamente mais recompensador assistir a um filme que estimula a discussão e a auto-análise do que um que, por covardia ou falta de ambição, limita-se a seguir a corrente do politicamente correto.
01/22/08
With no star names and a tough subject, it will be hard sell despite being a runaway hit on its home turf.
09/19/08
A tough and realistic cop story that stays believable from beginning to end while delivering the truth about loyalty, courage and gut-wringing fear on an inner city military mission with no second chances.
05/03/08
Despite the voiceover, Padilha has created a shocking insight into a world in which corrupt cops slug it out against drug dealers but, ultimately, nobody wins.
08/08/08
A very compelling movie that's almost ruined by a horrible narration track.
05/02/08
... for all the glorification of the mercenary methods of this elite squad, it's still a fascinating portrait of a nightmarish police and crime culture and a vivid narrative.
06/16/08
A satisfactory enough cop movie, but not one that people will still be name checking years hence
01/13/09
It's a bit like a Latin American episode of The Bill written by Richard Littlejohn and directed by Chuck Norris.
08/08/08
As for the plot, flashy editing and an over-reliance on jittery handheld cameras mean you’ll struggle to tell what’s going on – if you haven’t already given up by then.
08/08/08
A poor man's City of God that suggests the only answer to the problems of Brazil's slums are blazing guns wielded by a neo-fascist police force.
09/19/08
Latest News for Elite Squad
January 28, 2009:
Uni Chooses Jose Padilha for The Sigma Protocol 
Universal's deal with the Ludlum estate has started to bear fruit in the form of a film adaptation of "The Sigma Protocol," which Jose Padilha is in talks to direct. More...
September 21, 2008:
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September 18, 2008:
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This week at the movies, we've got an angry cop (Lakeview Terrace, starring Samuel L. Jackson); a disgruntled hunchback (the CGI Igor with voice work by John Cusack and Molly... More...
July 01, 2008:
Edinburgh 2008: What to Watch
We share twenty of the best films screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, currently running in the Scottish city. More...
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