2008 Fall/Holiday Preview: #20. Elite Squad (Tropa De Elite)

Date:

Tropa de Elite

#20. Elite Squad

Director/Writer: José Padilha and written by Padilha, Bráulio Mantovani and Rodrigo Pimentel 
Producers: Padilha and Marcos Prado (Bus 174).
Distributor: IFC First Take

The Gist: Based on the book by André Batista, Rodrigo Pimentel and Luiz Eduardo Soares, the movie, set in 1997, depicts the story of Captain Nascimento, a BOPE captain, who with the imminent birth of his first child, is determined to leave the battalion and find a safer position for the sake of his family, but first he must find a suitable replacement for him. At the same time, the movie focuses on two childhood friends, Matias and Neto, who become cadets in the military police, but become dismayed at the corruption surrounding them. Eventually, both Nascimento and the cadets’ paths intersect, when the captain hopes that one of the two may become the substitute he is eager to find, as both decide to join the BOPE.

Fact: Following the same path as Fernando Meirelles, Padilha is parlaying the international success of this picture into a future in Hollywood. The helmer is currently developing A Willing Patriot and Marching Powder

See It: Winner of the Golden Bear at the 08′ edition of the Berlin Film Festival, this title is definetely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it certainly adds more layers to notion of corruption among those with shields.    

Release Date/Status?: Limited release on September 19th.

 
Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022, he was a New Flesh Juror for Best First Feature at the Fantasia International Film Festival. His top films for 2023 include The Zone of Interest (Glazer), Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Pham Thien An), Totem (Lila Avilés), La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher), All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson). He is a Golden Globes Voter.

Share post:

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Popular