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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

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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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The K An absolutely accurate representation of reality in Brazil! This is a masterpiece of Brazilian pop culture. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Artur A Muito bom MDSS. Wagner Moura perfeito, direção foda, fotografia maravilhosa. Muito bom. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/06/25 Full Review Manuela D filme histórico, maravilhoso, com cenas de violencia muito bem trabalhadas e uma critica social ABSOLUTAMENTE necessaria. eu sou apaixonada por esse filme, e é um dos poucos que possuem o primeiro e o segundo filme igualmente maravilhosos. 10/10. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/01/25 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
Elite Squad

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Cast & Crew

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José Padilha

Director

Wagner Moura

Captain Nascimento

André Ramiro

André Matias

Caio Junqueira

Neto

Milhem Cortaz

Captain Fábio

Fernanda Machado

Maria

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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
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