Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010)

Let's be realistic.

A different way of telling a story

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The movie Elite Squad was a very captivating movie with a ton of corruption and action. There were a lot of interesting twists and turns that kept me very interested. It had a strong American type of movie vibe to it. I think it was a very interesting representation of the police force in Brazil and showed the true possibility of corruptness within a government or a police force. It was also interesting to compare it to the other foreign films that I have seen in my Global Perspectives class in the aspect that there was actually wealth. There were both sides of the spectrum instead of just the poor side of the equation. I think that was what was making seem very American to me. But the plot itself was very intriguing and the twists along the way kept the movie alive and surprising which I really liked. I would definitely recommend it and overall was a very great movie.

After a prison riot, retired Captain Nascimento, now a high ranking security officer in Rio de Janeiro, is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials and paramilitary groups.American movies have their share of violence, and stories of crime and corruption. But this film really pushes the envelope and puts America on notice: Brazil has crime, too, and the filmmakers there are not afraid to portray it in all its glory.While the whole film is great at explaining the drug culture and crime in Brazil (fictionalized), the first few scenes really grab the viewer and bring them in. The prison break, the gang-on-gang violence (including a cremation)... this is gritty, action-packed stuff.

Correcting every single element that bothered me in the first film, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within marks a definite improvement over its predecessor for it discards the experimental approach of the previous chapter to opt for a more traditional procedure, and while it may lack the raw power of the original, it more than makes up for it with its sturdy storytelling.The sequel to Elite Squad, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within continues the semi-fictional tale of BOPE, Rio de Janerio's Special Police Operations Squad, and follows the journey of its former leader who is promoted to a high-ranking security officer following a prison riot but soon finds himself standing against a new enemy that has the ruling government's support.Co-written & directed by José Padilha, The Enemy Within brings significant upgrades in all filmmaking departments for its plot progresses in a streamlined manner while its non-linear narration exhibits a better balance than before. Padilha's direction shows more confidence and unlike the last picture, the screenplay converges its subplots towards the same route instead of branching out in all directions.Production design team chips in with more refined sets, Cinematography encapsulates the picture with the nearly-same gritty layer but this time the drama also benefits from its fluid camera-work. Editing does a complete turn around for the events unfold in a smoother way while the pace is absolutely relentless. And as far as performances go, the reprising cast is top-notch while the new additions have a thing or two to say as well.On an overall scale, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is a brilliantly directed, smartly written, skilfully photographed, tightly edited, ferociously paced & strongly performed crime drama that corrects the errors of the original to conclude its saga on a satisfying note. The better film of the two, this brutal, unflinching & violent ride into the Brazilian underbelly is a better structured, better balanced & better executed sequel that comes throughly recommended.

Both the first an this second "Tropa de Elite-film" has got great reviews before cinema screening here in Norway. This second has been an unbelievable cinema success in home country Brazil, and I really understand why both have been commercial successes, both in cinemas and later on with DVD, VOD and so on.I thought the first was great, but this is even better. Many has given good words about this film, but I'd like to express that I think this sublime film making in any way. And after the appraisals of th firs, it's very difficult to make th second live up to the first, and even exceed the huge expectations.This film goes to the core of the main problems of one of the countries which have had the best economical development as well as getting more people out of poverty. Corruption is the main theme of this film, more than drug trafficking. No true story, but acted out so that you really believe it is.Corruption is without doubt the most sincere problem the world faces today. Not only to stop narc-problems and trafficking, but also all the other reasons for attracting money and power, as cutting down rain forest or all kinds of trade. A huge problem, spreading like no other decease.Rarely a narrative voice does I go me, however, in this film it's most appropriate. If you want to see an exciting film with no Hollywood nonsense, which lingers in your mind afterwards, the this is one to watch. You can see this without seeing the first "Trope de Elite", but if you got the chance to see the other first, then do, in promise that the second is even better than the first.