Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Elite Squad

Play trailer Poster for Elite Squad R Released Sep 19, 2008 1h 54m Action Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
51% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
The captain (Wagner Moura) of a special Brazilian police force considers which of two new recruits (André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira) would make a suitable successor.

Where to Watch

Elite Squad

Elite Squad

What to Know

Critics 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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (35)
V.A. Musetto New York Post For nearly two hours, Padilha bombards viewers with senseless, sickening violence for its own sake. Rated: 1/4 Sep 19, 2008 Full Review Manohla Dargis New York Times Elite Squad is a relentlessly ugly, unpleasant, often incoherent assault on the senses from Brazil. Rated: .5/5 Sep 19, 2008 Full Review David Fear Time Out Elite Squad can't decide whether it wants to pull the lid back on what urban decay has wrought or simply open up a can of whup ass. Rated: 2/6 Sep 17, 2008 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia It keeps me interested with its sample of slum violence and police brutality, but it is affected by a lack of character development and a regular narrative that seems to repeat itself like a crime wave in the favelas. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Feb 12, 2021 Full Review Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy A satisfactory enough cop movie, but not one that people will still be name checking years hence Rated: 6/10 Jan 13, 2009 Full Review Robert Koehler Christian Science Monitor 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. Rated: D Sep 25, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+)
Max K It's a great film and portrays the reality of many people (which is worrying) but nothing better than art copying life. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/27/25 Full Review Pedro A Amazing! Good film to watch without kids in the classroom. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/06/25 Full Review Fer S Amazing movie! Great consistent pacing, good acting and very interesting plot with a perfect narrative. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/25 Full Review Lucca M Filme excelente, retrata muito bem o que acontece no nosso Brasil. Críticos que avaliam como violência sem sentido estão nas suas bolhas e estão longe de conhecer a realidade brasileira. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/25 Full Review João Pedro G Um dos melhores filmes produzidos pelo brasil, retrata bem uma realidade que é escondida com ótimas críticas e uma ótima produção Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/25 Full Review Wendel L Direção: Bom Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Bom Caracterização: Bom Soundtrack: Ok Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Elite Squad

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

José Padilha

Director

Wagner Moura

Captain Nascimento

André Ramiro

André Matias

Caio Junqueira

Neto

Milhem Cortaz

Captain Fábio

Fernanda Machado

Maria

More Like This

View All
Headhunters 93% 85% Headhunters Watchlist Assault on Precinct 13 60% 48% Assault on Precinct 13 Watchlist Waist Deep 28% 76% Waist Deep Watchlist Running Scared 41% 79% Running Scared Watchlist The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day 23% 58% The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

Elite Squad

Elite Squad (2007) Elite Squad (2007) Elite Squad (2007) Elite Squad (2007) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis The captain (Wagner Moura) of a special Brazilian police force considers which of two new recruits (André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira) would make a suitable successor.
Director
José Padilha
Producer
Marcos Prado, José Padilha
Screenwriter
José Padilha, Rodrigo Pimentel, Bráulio Mantovani, André Batista, Rodrigo Pimentel
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Estúdios Mega, Weinstein Company, Zazen Producoes, Quanta Centro de Produções
Rating
R (Pervasive Language|Drug Content|Strong Violence)
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
Brazilian Portuguese
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 19, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.1K
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Most Popular at Home Now