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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.

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Elite Squad

Elite Squad

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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.

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Critics Reviews

View All (35) Critics Reviews
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

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Fabrícia F A violência e corrupção policial são o foco nesse drama ambientado na cidade maravilhosa. Incrível, épico, surreal! Os dilemas enfrentados pelo capitão Nascimento (Wagner Moura) despertam o interesse do público e ganha a torcida da opinião popular. Um clássico atemporal e dramático. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/24 Full Review Maximos g As pessoas que veem esse filme como uma violência sem sentido, provavelmente vivem em uma bolha, porque esse filme retrata muito bem o rj e como o pública reage a ele acaba descrevendo o 2, que é tornar o capitão nascimento como um héroi, embora não seja a intenção do filme é assim que o público vê, pois odeia mais criminosos Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Pedro F Melhor filme Brasileiro Feito, e eu posso falar pois sou brasileiro, em relação a esse filme, gringos não tem argumento Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/08/24 Full Review Raiodesol S Realistic and compelling if you happen to live in the context of the movie. Maybe a little too extreme for most audiences, but that’s the sad reality of the Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/18/24 Full Review Eduarda O Tropa de Elite é uma das coisas que expõe a patriota que existe dentro de mim. Esse filme é incrível. O Wagner Moura é incrível, Assistiria mais 90 vezes e com as frases decoradas. Por vezes, a narração acaba se tornando desnecessária e invasiva, apenas dizendo tudo o que já estamos vendo, mas ainda assim, não é algo que me incomoda. Cada diálogo poderia virar meme, seja o da bandoleira, o "voa aqui" ou SIXTEMA É FODA. Não vejo os personagens principais como heróis, tampouco é a premissa do filme. Romantizar a violência nesse nível é desvio de caráter gravíssimo, mas o filme é excelente. Adoro, 1000x adoro, tá maluco. Agora, o que separa o mundo dos de pouca fé, é se vai cantar ou não quando começa a tocar 'AGORA O BICHO VAI PEGAR'. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review Diego R The brilliant essay of Padilha on the dynamics that provoke corruption and crime in Rio de Janeiro through the perspectives of its main characters prove that watching this movie is not only a highly entertaining and masterful craft, but a memory that shall remain forever on those who watch it. It will leave a desire to further analyze, watch and enjoy this movie over and over again, thanks to its fast paced, but immersive and simple (yet with richful subtext) narrative. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Elite Squad

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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
Quanta Centro de Produções, Zazen Producoes, Estúdios Mega, Weinstein Company, Universal Pictures
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
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