A satisfactory enough cop movie, but not one that people will still be name checking years hence
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01/13/09
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Elite Squad (2008)
53
%
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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
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
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
Given that Brazil, as a Latin American moviemaking powerhouse, steadily produces vibrant, vital films of real impact and humanity, it's a crime itself that Elite Squad may be the only Brazilian film that American audiences see this year.
09/25/08
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
A very compelling movie that's almost ruined by a horrible narration track.
05/02/08
The film's message is that all of society is corrupt, so it doesn't matter who gets killed. It's a propaganda movie that shows no empathy for its characters or for its audience.
09/03/08
Trying 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
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
It's just a pity the story is so slipshod - it only really gets going halfway through.
08/08/08
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
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
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
You'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
... 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
Here is the biggest, fattest, dampest squib of the week: perhaps the most disappointing film ever to have won the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival.
08/08/08
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
Padilha succumbs to monotonous, hollow flamboyance with his City of God clone.
09/02/08
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
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:
Trailer & Poster review
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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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