Recommended
I don’t think it’s had a UK release yet but when it does Tropa de Elite is a must see. It’s a Brazillian police thriller, directed by the same chap who made Bus 174 (and if you haven’t seen that one yet it should go on whatever lists you keep of films to see, if you don’t do lists, start one now and put these two at the top, round them off with City of God and Carandiru for a four parter that will stop you ever wanting to visit Brazil, or at least the favelas).
It’s got that handheld grittiness and the oppressive heat of good Brazilian cinema, the action is horrifyingly believable and the characters are more than the cardboard cut out good and evil that seems to infest Hollywood. The story follows a couple of police lieutenants, friends from childhood, who learn the hard way about police corruption before joining the BOPE, the elite police squad under the command of Captain Nacimiento. Nacimiento is looking for a replacement as he’s had enough, his wife is pregnant and he wants out.
The structure is nicely split up, with a long flashback after a kinetic opening sequence allowing for some aha moments as we realise where we are the second time. There’s a couple of heavily charged political scenes involving rich students who hate the police coming face to face with the anarchy they actually have. I fully expect this one to be in the list of Best Foreign pictures come oscar time…
Tags: film
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you won’t be surprised that it might not be on my list