Tropa de Elite (2007)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

José Padilha

Writers:

André Batista (book)
John Kaylin (adaptation)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (Brazil)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

On the streets of Rio only the elite survive.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Slum | Favela | Rio De Janeiro Brazil | Brazil

Awards:

22 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Wagner Moura	...	Capitão Nascimento
Caio Junqueira	...	Neto
André Ramiro	...	André Matias
Maria Ribeiro	...	Rosane
Fernanda Machado	...	Maria
Fernanda de Freitas	...	Roberta
Paulo Vilela	...	Edu
Milhem Cortaz	...	Capitão Fábio
Marcelo Valle	...	Capitão Oliveira
Fábio Lago	...	Claudio Mendes de Lima 'Baiano'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruno Delia	...	Capitão Azevedo
Marcelo Escorel	...	Coronel Otávio
André Felipe	...	Rodrigues (as André Mauro)
Thelmo Fernandes	...	Sargento Alves
Emerson Gomes	...	Xaveco
Paulo Hamilton	...	Soldado Paulo
Bernardo Jablonski	...	Law teacher
Daniel Lentini	...	Rapaz 3 da Festa
Thiago Mendonça
Alexandre Mofatti	...	Sub-Comandante Carvalho
Erick Oliveira	...	Marcinho
Otto Jr.	...	Major Gouveia
André Santinho	...	Tenente Renan
Patrick Santos	...	Tinho
Ana Paula Secco	...	Mãe de Romerito (as Ana Paula Secco)
Ricardo Sodré	...	Cabo Bocão
Thogun	...	Cabo Tião

Also Known As:

Elite Squad (UK) (USA)
The Elite Squad (Europe: English title) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and drug content.

Runtime:

115 min | Germany:118 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | Netherlands | USA

Language:

Portuguese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | USA:R | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Ireland:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | France:-16

Filming Locations:

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

Zazen Produções

Trivia:

The university where part of the film was shot is PUC, located at the pleasant neighborhood of Gávea, at Rio de Janeiro, a very traditional elite school and considered the best private university in Brazil, and one of the best educational institutions in South America. This is where André Batista, one of the film's screenwriters, attended law school. He was a member of BOPE and was the inspiration for the character of André Matias, a honest man who finds himself torn between his life as a BOPE member and his life long dreams of being a lawyer.

Quotes:

Baiano: [Baiano is surrounded by the BOPE soldiers, having a handgun pointed to his face] ... N-not in the face, boss.
Capitão Nascimento: Say what?
Baiano: Don't shoot my f-face, you'll ruin my funeral...
Capitão Nascimento: [Capitão Nascimento puts the handgun away] Soldier 07, hand me the 12-gauge.
Baiano: Please no, boss...
Capitão Nascimento: [Handing the 12-gauge shotgun to soldier Mathias] Do him, he's yours.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Levels (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tropa de Elite

Terrific Thriller

If you loved City of God and Carandiru, you have to see this movie. Maybe it's the most complex Brazilian movie about violence. It combines a discussion about the problem of violence in Rio de Janeiro, the police corruption and the society responsibility and, what is more important, Elite Squad is a terrific thriller: nervous, intriguing and entertaining. Cinema at it's best.

Bráulio Mantovani, from City of God, wrote the screenplay and Daniel Rezend, also from CDD, is the editor (Both nominated to the Oscar).

Above, one article about the film:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!)

characters lie dead in the street within minutes of the opening of Brazilian director Jose Padilha's new film which he hopes will shed new light on gang violence and police corruption in his country.

"Elite Squad," which Padilha wrote with former Rio police officer Rodrigo Pimentel, follows two young Rio de Janeiro police officers as their fantasy of implementing law and order disintegrates into bloodshed and corruption.

It details night raids through the makeshift homes of the city's hillside slums known as favelas, as well as the stark class differences that feed an appetite for riches among many of its poor residents.

Padilha, 39, said he had originally hoped to use the information he received from Pimentel for a documentary but quickly realized that it would not be feasible.

"How would I do this, go to corrupt cops with cameras?" he asks. "If I tried to make this film as a documentary, it would probably get me killed." Padilha, whose highly-acclaimed debut film "Bus 174" about a real-life bus hijacking in Rio was released in 2002, has strived to make the film as realistic as possible, shooting much of the film on the favelas' narrow streets.

"Elite Squad" is based on Pimentel's account of his tenure as captain of Rio's elite police force which has come under attack by Amnesty International for brutality.

Like "Bus 174," it exposes the darker elements of Brazil that contrast vividly with the nation's colorful, extravagant Carnival celebrations."