Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010) User Reviews

Well made movie about corruption and crime

[chillyacademic · 9/10 · 7 March 2011]

This is a completely different movie from Tropa de Elite 1. That movie was about a few guys and their personal stories as they deal with crooked cops. They were a hindrance to good police work but not really a menace, more an annoyance. This movie is all about real deep- seated corruption in Brazil. The bad guys here are actually evil and ruthless, and as a result the stakes are higher for the protagonists.

The good: just as memorable action scenes, although there were less of them. The story had several twists and turns and it was fascinating overall

The bad: Character development seemed to have taken a back seat here to the grand narrative. The distinct personalities of the first movie are kind of reduced. Andre Matias is the biggest example of this, and I was disappointed with what they did with him. Cpt. Nascimento's wasn't nearly as bad-ass or imposing as in TdE1.

I recommend this to anyone who likes a good crime movie with a message. I'm not Brazilian but this movie still made me think.

9/10

Entertaining political action thriller

[TdSmth5 · 9/10 · 30 March 2011]

Elite Squad 2 continues where part 1 left off. The movie starts in the present with Nascimento walking out of a hospital and driving into a trap. He then tells us how he got to that point. At the end we return to that point and find out what happens during the shootout and its aftermath.

We learn of a raid to a prison that houses all the major drug dealers who continue their dealings inside jail. There is an orchestrated mutiny and most drug dealers are killed. A human rights advocate and professor rushes to the jail to mediate. But there's little he can do. The massacre causes a political uproar. And politicians seek to distance themselves from the violent elite squad BOPE. That is until they realize how popular a tough stance against crime is with the people. So Nascimento gets a political promotion, he's now placed in charge of intelligence. A smart move by the politicians. They promote him while getting him out of the picture.

With the main drug dealers out of the way, someone has to fill the power vacuum in the slums and keep order. Corrupt policemen realize how much money there is to be made in that position. Basically, they get their share of every deal that is done on the streets, whether it's a drug deal or a pirate cable TV installation. Then they assault a precinct to steal all the weapons. The corrupt governor who is running for re-election, an associate, and a TV commentator plan then to organize a massive attack on the slums, to recover the weapons, which according their media campaign were stolen by regular criminals and hidden in the slums.

Nascimento's intelligence knows very well that the drug dealers don't have any weapons. He tries to argue against the operation, but the politicians won't hear any of it. The operation fails to find weapons. This should sound familiar. Nascimento quips that it should have been called "Operation Iraq." When his friend Matias becomes a victim of the machine, Nascimento decides to confront the corruption head on. He gets the unwilling help of a reporter working with the human rights activist who is now a senator. He's also married to Nascimento ex-wife. Nascimento's son lives with them.

With all that we return to the shootout in the present day.

The success of this movie is the smart mixture of political intrigue and corruption with high octane action. For some reason, I was hoping for more action, as this director really excels at shooting those scenes. The portrayal of the political mafia as a bunch of vain fools is accurate and funny. The middle portion of this movie is somewhat flat, I didn't connect with it, but that could have been because of the subtitles that race across the screen and don't allow you to focus on the movie itself.

The bigger problem are all the forced coincidences that are so convenient for the writers to include. The ex-wife happens to marry the human rights senator. He son happens to hear when the reporter tells the senator that she thinks the police stole the weapons, and so on.

Despite some minor flaws this series is still outstanding and almost epic.

Wow.

[Sash5034 · 10/10 · 26 January 2011]

I'll say one thing right off the bat, this movie is incredible. I saw it in a packed theater at the Sundance film festival and I've never heard louder applause from an audience. I would recommend watching the first film, just because its also very good and introduces all the characters. However, this film stands on its own. The director sought to make this stand out from the first film and he succeeded. This has fantastic action, great dialogue, and some hilarious dark humor. But most of all, its intelligent, its extremely well made, it's not plagued with any awkward or out of place moments. For some viewers, this film might actually be a learning experience. If you want to see an action film that isn't 90% action and 10% plot. If you want something that's hardcore, fearless, and has a message, this is it. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Amazing

[im-624-363302 · 10/10 · 31 October 2010]

I saw the film in its world premiere in Paulinia, São Paulo. !.500 people in the audience. Perhaps, 1/3 industry members and 2/3 non-industry members. It was a collective catharsis, I only remember a group experience of the same intensity watching Crouching Tiger in its Cannes premiere.

The audience applauded the film five times, the last a standing ovation. Capitão Nascimento has become the alter ego of every Brazilian, seeking a secure place to live. I think the film will find an echo in neighboring Latin American countries.

Compared to Tropa de Elite 1, the second delivery is a much more mature picture, a deeper look into the issues that plague every Latin American major city- citizen's security, human rights, and political responsibility.

Since City of God, I have not seen such a round and impactful film about the social reality in Brazil. Remarkable work of José Padilha, Braulio Mantovani with a seamless screenplay. Lula Carvalho's precise work as a DOP, Daniel Rezende's brilliant editing, not to mention Wagner Moura's surprising delivery as a mature Nascimento.

A total must see, and absolute award season favorite

A marvelous movie... the SAGA continues

[ebarros · 10/10 · 15 October 2010]

Padilha has definitely excelled himself... instead of going into the usual and expected cliché of making a sequel with the exact same formula as the first movie, he goes out of the box and makes a wonderful, completely new, movie. If you are one of those movie fans who would like to see a reproduction of the first movie, who is eager to hear famous lines such as "você é um moleque" or "pede pra sair" once again coming out of Capitão Nascimento's mouth, who wants to see more and more torture, more and more violence. Forget about all of that... this movie has nothing of the sort. Of course there is a lot of shootings, and some torture scenes, but they are nothing compared to the ones in the first movie, they are quick and do not show as much! But do not let this keep you from watching this movie. In fact, what makes this sequel so special is that it doesn't even feel like a sequel, it feels more like a SAGA, Capitão Nascimento's SAGA, his quest for justice and against crime. Its a deeper voyage into Nascimento's feelings and also into the inner workings of the CRIME machine. Its a more mature and better developed movie which will make you think. It will make you angry, and it will make you mad... but in the end it will make you want to cry out loud: GO CAPITÃO NASCIMENTOOOOOOO!!! And cheer for him!

The best Brazilian film I've ever seen

[leodrivera · 10/10 · 27 November 2010]

This film shows everything about the corruption of the police in Rio. It shows on details how it works and how the politicians are involved, taking advantages of the corrupt system. Also, many characters that appear on the film are based on actual ones, like an ex-governor and an ex-secretary for Public Security.

It's a must-see film, mainly if you are a Brazilian citizen. Unfortunately, because of political interests, this film wasn't indicated for Oscar. It would be a great candidate for winning it. The one that was chosen, "Lula o Filho do Brasil" is a tendentious film that shows the supposed biography of Lula.

High Speed Dialogue Dilution...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 25 October 2020]

... which, if you watch with subtitles, results in you spending almost all of the film reading and missing a lot of the action and expression, perhaps a dubbed version would be a better option. That said, what you do get is an ultraviolent depiction of the corruption endemic within the governance of the city of Rio. How closely this reflects reality is difficult to know, you would like to think it's exaggerated but whenever people are involved in anything these days there are seldom any winners - we just seem to aimlessly grin a bear it, even when it's at the top of the tree.

The Masterminds of the Organized Crime in Rio

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 12 February 2011]

After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) and the second in command Captain André Matias (André Ramiro) are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga (Irandhir Santos) of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor. However, due to the increasing popularity of Nascimento, the Governor invites him to team-up with the intelligence area of the Secretary of Security. Along the years, Fraga, who is married with Nascimento's former wife, is elected State Representative and Nascimento's son Rafael has issues with his biological father. Meanwhile Nascimento and the BOPE expel the drug dealers from several slums but another enemy arises: the militia led by Major Rocha (Sandro Rocha) and supported by the Governor, the Secretary of Security and politicians interested in votes. Nascimento is manipulated to help this group, vanquishing the criminals in the slums and poor communities; then the corrupt group of police officers is free to exploit the poor population.

"Tropa de Elite 2" is a fictional and hopeless story based on true events and characters of Rio de Janeiro and the greatest box office of Brazilian cinema ever. The director and writer José Padilha did not make a sequel of the successful "Tropa de Elite", but used important characters to make a different and very realistic approach, scarier than the first one, about the masterminds of the organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. Further, he proves that is a courageous man, nudging the Powers that Be with this great film. The performances are impressive and sometimes this film seems to be a documentary. "Tropa de Elite 2" is certainly the best Brazilian film of 2010 but the Brazilian Commission has not selected this movie to dispute a nomination to the Oscar in the Best Foreign Language category. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Tropa de Elite 2: O Inimigo Agora é Outro" ("Elite Squad 2: Now it is Another Enemy")

Violent and realistic motion picture based on real facts , about a high ranking officer fighting total corruption

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 9 April 2015]

Exciting and thrilling picture dealing with former-Captain Nascimento , now a Brazil high authority . After a prison riot, today Nascimento (Wagner Moura , this character was based on screenwriter Rodrigo Pimentel) is a high ranking security officer in Rio De Janeiro , he is swept into a bloody political dispute that involves government officials , politicians and paramilitary groups . Excellent and nail-beating film based on real events , in fact , the role of Diogo Fraga (Irandhir Santos) is based on the real life Rio de Janeiro State Representative Marcelo Freixo . Nowadays , high commander Nascimento has to find out a lot of problems while trying to take down inmates from a prison riot , drug dealers , criminals and a corrupt police called Rocha who commands a dangerous militia . On the streets of Rio only the elite survive . The movie also deals about BOPE , a Special Operations Squad similar to American SWAT and their fight against factions in Favelas Rio Janeiro . Meanwhile , Matias (Andre Ramiro , this role was based on screenwriter André Batista , former members of the BOPE squad) is moved to the corrupted Military Police .

This stirring film has breathless , brutal scenes , a gut punch of an action film . It concerns on an upright man , his fight against policy corruption , taking on the daily challenges of dealing with pressure at home and fighting an unnamed war on Rio Janeiro slums . Interesting and brooding screenplay from the Academy Award nominated writer of City of God . Many critics have considered as a tremendous movie , on the level of some of the Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola pictures . A must see, a cross between the Departed , The Wire and City of God . It's a thought-provoking and clever studio of a few decent people , an Elite Squad , about police corruption , and unflinching remark at the underbelly of Rio Janeiro , plenty of drug-lords , burglars and assassins . Runtime film is overlong but it's fast moving and for that reason isn't boring but it's entertaining . The picture grossed at box office , it had a total public of 2.4 million paying viewers while playing in theaters in Brazil , in addition to the estimated 11 million who watched the bootleg copies and got a final version slightly different from the pirated one . It made the most seen movie in Brazilian cinema history. It also became the highest-grossing film of all time in Brazil, beating Avatar (2009)'s record . In fact , this film was already a best-seller almost three months before its official release . Illegal copies of what the director called the "3rd cut" flooded the streets of all major capitals in Brazil, for the equivalent of five dollars a piece . The characters are based on actual people , as Andre Matias was a member of BOPE and was a honest man who finds himself torn between his life as a BOPE member and his life long dreams of being a lawyer . Exciting as well as moving musical score . Composer Pedro Bromfman is the man behind Padilha's critically acclaimed sensation "Elite Squad" and the smash hit sequel and he's re-teamed with the filmmaker for "RoboCop" .

Direction by Jose Padilha is awesome , stylish , and overuse Steadycam ; this is an award-winning Brazilian picture ; it was Brazil's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012 . Filmmaker Jose directed first ¨Elite Squad¨ about a Special Police Battalion , called BOPE , an unit of urban combat attempting to take down drug dealers and killers in Rio De Janeiro before the Pope comes to Rio , and this sequel , the smash hit followup , ¨Elite Squad: The Enemy Within¨ both of them have been monster hits in his native Brazil and beyond . Director José Padilha claimed that this movie ends his trilogy about urban violence in major Brazilian cities . The first one, Ônibus 174 (2002), was a documentary meant to explain how the state's indifference towards poor people can lead to the formation of violent criminals . The second, Elite Squad (2007), meant to explain how the state's indifference towards law enforcement agencies will often result in police brutality and corrupt officers . And finally, the last movie deals with the reasons behind the state's choice to ignore the poor and the police . These films had a lot of box office , about 11.1 million paying viewers made it the most seen movies in Brazilian cinema history . The first feature film in English for this director resulted to be RoboCop , making his Hollywood debut , and inventively breaks down ,reconfigures and soups up the core half-man, half-machine cop-hero conceit.

Fascinating and necessary

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 7/10 · 31 January 2017]

"Tropa de Elite 2" is a gripping look at corruption and the dangers of power, a movie that walks a thin line and does a great job of showing the difficulties of bringing change to the system using the system, and how the use of legitimized coercion may (or may not) be necessary in some occasions. And even if you have not watched the first one, you will enjoy the new "adventures" of Lt. Colonel Nascimento.

The movie starts with Nascimento having some problems at the job. But instead of being kicked out of the BOPE, he gets a promotion. And then is when things start to get complicated, when a man used to be with the direct violence in Brazil's everyday life, gets to 'enjoy' sharing his time with the structural and cultural violence that comes from the system, the rich and the politicians.

And the movie does a great job in keeping everything interesting, even if the action is tone down compared with the first movie. You get nice plot developments, interesting characters' arcs and a lot of food for thought. Nothing is particularly original (power corrupts is not something that you have never heard before), but the message and its delivery is strong.

It helps that the use of locations is great, that the acting (with Moura again doing a great job as Nascimento) is top notch, and that the direction keeps the pace fast and fresh, the almost two hours of movie finished in a breeze. A necessary viewing.

Overrated

[mariusedum · 5/10 · 25 February 2011]

This movie receives too much praise. I was a bit disappointed by it. First of all what's the story with the camera shaking all the time? It almost made me sick! It seems there is not a single steady shot in this movie. If the intention was to convey some subtle impression of permanent action the target was missed, because all it managed to do was make me dizzy and hope the movie will end faster. Even the starting credits were a pain to watch because of the sudden flashes of bright light in between black screens. There are lots and lots of talking, some Hollywood inspired action with a slight Brazilian flavor, a pretty common script and a horrifying description of the way things work in Rio. I certainly hope the movie grossly exaggerates the situation. It may be the best box office Brazilian hit, but certainly it isn't the best Brazilian movie.

Superb!

[CiccioButcher · 10/10 · 28 February 2011]

This is by far the best movie of the year!

I enjoyed the first movie very much but the sequel even surpasses that. The story is more complex and keeps you interested and involved all the way. The central character is again Roberto Nascimento who is now more mature, as the story is set 13years later than the first movie. His enemies are corrupted policemen and politicians who prove to be much bigger threat than the drug lords as they have political power to influence Nascimento's position. Nascimento will have to adapt and learn to fight on other fields using new methods.

This time we also learn more about Nascimento's family and his relationship with them, especially with his adolescent son.

This movie made me angry...

[cyguration · 10/10 · 6 January 2015]

I'm an American and this movie made me angry. It didn't make me angry for the reasons you think.

You see, a lot of people tend to think America is a great place (and for some people it is); others tend to think America is full of "stupid Americans" (and there are some). Then there are those who are disillusioned to the propaganda of America; they don't see the land of the free and the home of the brave, they see just another country with a bunch of crooked thieves holding office and subjugating anyone who isn't in the upper-class to social and economic oppression.

Elite Squad 2 makes me angry because it's real. It's not a fantasy recreation of the political system or the enforcement institutions controlled by them. The corruption in Brazil is a mirror of the same kind of political corruption in America; our electoral college is a joke; our candidate propaganda machine is a joke; our Congress is a joke and our Senate is a joke.

Recent uprisings from the average Joe and Jane (assuming they make it to the news outside of the U.S.,) is indication enough that not everything is strawberries and lilies in the land of the U. S., of A. And seeing a movie like Elite Squad 2 helps put that into perspective: this isn't just my nation that's like this, it's a lot of nations that are like this.

So yeah, this movie made me angry because it makes you feel helpless and small and insignificant with its powder kegs of truth. You see how violence can suffocate change and cronyism can hamper the democratic process. This movie outlines that even when you think the "good guys" can win, they don't. It's a harsh dose of reality served up in the most intense two hours you'll experience from a movie for a long time to come.

Despite the feeling of helplessness and anger toward the reality of our corrupt and pathetic political system(s), more than anything this movie makes you want to stand up and say, "enough is enough!"

A Nutshell Review: Elite Squad 2

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 18 September 2011]

I was hoping that Elite Squad 2 would get a commercial screening in Singapore, but if not then it made a welcome appearance during this year's SIFF, and while it can be watched as a standalone film, you'll appreciate the challenges faced by the principal characters a lot more if you've watched the original, where BOPE leader Nascimento (Wagner Moura) and his squad got introduced with the primary plot revolving around his tough training of two up and coming protégés in the squad which had powers to eliminate enemies of the drug trade with deadly force. It became one of my favourite shows that year and of its genre, and I'm glad that the sequel went one up without repeating itself, tackling problems in Rio De Janeiro that are of a wider scale, exploring just how deep the rabbit hole of corruption in the city goes.

Starting with a cliffhanger where Nascimento, now Lt Colonel with added years to his age with a hint of grey at the sides of his head, got caught up between a rock and a hard place, we then journey some months back which writer-director Jose Padilha, returning for this film, outdid himself with tightly choreographed, intensely shot action sequences within a high security prison where inmates took over with force and are out to eradicate enemies within the prison where enclaves sprung up. You'll notice that the shaky cam cinematography in its predecessor got toned down a lot in this follow up film, which is nice. From that botched attempt of now Captain Andre Matias (Andre Ramiro) disobeying orders from the top but with public sentiments on a high for the no-nonsense approach by the BOPE, Nascimento got moved out of the Skulls and into politics, becoming under-secretary of Intelligence in charge of all wire-tapping activities by the authorities, while Andre himself got moved back to becoming a lowly beat cop.

It's a very major departure from the premise of the first film, if you've come with expectations that you'll get to see action sequence after action sequence punctuated by violence, because this installment is a more cerebral take on the problems plaguing the city, and a more macro-level approach as well involving crooked politicians and their support system beneath them that fuels a very symbiotic relationship between the corrupt leaders and their underlings, moving away from drug cartels, to wider and ruthlessly effective organized crime involving what some say are the largest gangsters around, the police force, in far more lucrative illegal trade fueled by the slums they're supposed to protect. And these problems go to show that if a system is corrupt it'll take some humongous effort to clean it up, if one can find a foothold to begin from that is, which is what Elite Squad 2 is mostly about, the few and rare good men who are willing to step out and stand up to be counted, even though they're battling on different fronts and may not share the same belief system.

Jose Padilha balanced political intrigue, crime and action without forgetting the emotional core that had also level-set the first film. Nascimento's son is all grown up now but remains estranged from his dad because he cannot comprehend why Nascimento had to kill in his line of duty. And as if that's not enough, his wife is now romantically linked with his professional nemesis Fraga (Irandir Santos), who with his non-government organization championing human rights, becomes the thorn in his side for frequently undermining BOPE's tactics and strategy that you would have seen from the first film, and in a way something like how director Padilha seeks to address detractors of that film. Things also get patchy between mentor and mentee especially when Andre sees Nascimento being unable to reinstate his position back in BOFE, but others working through a network of connections are able to, which sort of brings forth a moral dilemma of being beholden to someone, especially when links to the mob comes into play.

Wagner Moura keeps up his charismatic performance as the one man tour de force with a riveting performance as a leader anyone will want to follow, with courage and sometimes obsessed conviction in being married to his job and taking it upon himself as the city's saviour and scourge of the city's criminals, even if they happen to be white collared and in positions of power. Granted you'll miss watching him in action leading his men on raids as he becomes assigned to a desk job, but there's no lack of intensity in his newly minted career path, seeing it as opportunity to resource load his old unit to do a lot more than he imagined, though indirectly responsible for slicing off the head of a hydra he had yet to fully understand.

While action sequences are limited, there is no lack of excitement and edge of your seat moments where everything kicks into high gear, best played out in a hall with a properly tuned sound system that puts you in the thick of all the action. One can only hope for a follow up film if there's another strong story to be told given that loose ends still exist, the problems in the real world never actually going away and the system is one big monster that is constantly evolving and evading eradication, which will probably take generations to effect real change, but for action junkies and fans of police films, having Nascimento back for another film will indeed be a welcome treat. I can actually listen to an audio book narrated by Wagner Moura and not get bored at all, since it is his narration that fills in the blanks in this film and moves it forward. Highly recommended!

The macro version.

[athena24 · 18 September 2011]

While the first movie tells the story of 3 cops, and evolves around them, this sequel takes a view from above. There is no character development like in the first installment, however the story is more complicated and it takes more effort to explain it.

The First movie, concentrates on a BOPE squad, and the drug dealers it fights. Elite Squad 2 shows a bigger picture. It shows the politicians and Defense system mechanism that operates the squad, and the purposes it is used for. Instead of police corruption we see here murderers in uniform.

There are some flaws in the plot, and it slightly falls in comparison with the first one, however, overall it's very impressive.

I would recommend seeing The first installment before.

Good crime epic

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 21 March 2014]

Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) is in charge of a bloody recapture of a High-Security Penitentiary in Rio de Janeiro. Human Right worker Diogo Fraga was visiting the prison at the time, and he blames Nascimento for the bloodshed. However Nascimento becomes more popular than ever, and he's promoted. He eventually loses his wife to Fraga. His son hates him. As the gangs are driven out of the slums, the corrupt police takes over. They form militias which produces votes for corrupted politicians. Soon Nascimento is surrounded by his enemies in his own office.

This is a vast epic sprawling movie. That's the source of its main problem. This would make a great TV serial. Instead of 2 hours, this story could use 10-20 hours. This reminded me a lot of 'The Wire'. As a 2 hr movie, this needs to be boiled down to concentrate on Nascimento. This needs to be his story, not the epic story of corruption in Rio. I was also a little annoyed by the voice over narrations. With such a vast story, a narration to explain things was probably needed. The action is all there. The violence and the edgy story is well done. However the ambition is maybe too big for one movie.

The best Brazilian film of the year! The best movie of the year!

[Nadson · 10/10 · 13 October 2010]

A Brazilian film like never before. This is just a definition of Elite Squad 2, which could also be synonymous with: shocking, visceral, truculent, spectacular, amazing and realistic.

To make a film with such honesty and courage, as a member of B.O.P.E. say, must be "Skull"! And this is thanks to director Jose Padilha, who had the guts (and a lot of talent) to throw open the problem of violence in Rio de Janeiro, and the system created by subversive criminal organizations of low and high rank. Thus building a film extremely realistic and relevant, neither the American cinema got to do, because when it comes to "put the dust under the carpet, Hollywood and Brazil are very similar.

With a top cast in superb performances and a plot full of twists and clever, the viewer will not soon forget the great action, violence, misery and personal drama played by the great Brazilian anti-hero of the decade: Colonel/Captain Nascimento.

Tough and good

[zordy · 7/10 · 3 February 2020]

If one can stomach a super-realistic rendition of violence and corruption in Rio, where the real villains aren't the gangsters but the police and politicians, this is the right movie. Apart the interesting social and philosophical issues that can be sparkled, it is a very well directed, written and acted piece of cinema. What follows it's a warning for Italian audiences.

La versione che la Rai ha mandato in onda e che è disponibile su RaiPlay è censurata, perché evidentemente Mamma Rai ha ritenuto alcune scene troppo forti per il suo pubblico. Inoltre, gran parte del commento fuori campo del protagonista è assente. In cambio di questo bel trattamento, paghiamo il canone in bolletta. Cercate l'originale.

If you want to see torture violence and death you will get disappointed.

[andrewsephiroth · 10/10 · 13 October 2010]

If you are going to this movie just to see torture, violence, and people being killed in a war inside a city don't go.This movie is much better produced and more mature than the first.Here they show the main character (Capitão Nascimento) in a higher position.This movie explore more talking and negotiations than the first one.Not so many tortures.As I said this movie is more mature and make for you to THINK and not to see a bunch of people dieing.I really enjoyed it and it's for sure much better than the first one.10/10, I won't say much to don't give spoils.Go to this movie to see new characters, a completely new environment, with people showing you how works the things on the underworld of Rio, not the fake bad police in the first one but a new one ready to know how to dialogue.

Drug wars in another world

[stensson · 7/10 · 1 August 2011]

Rio de Janeiro. Military police and special forces raid the favelas. They kill drug dealers. Sometimes in what can be called self-defence. But sometimes it's plain murder.

Colonel Nascimento is only half-corrupt, but after what can be called a jail incident which takes many prisoners lives, he is in reality fired, but formally promoted to intelligence. After a while he understands that he's not fighting drugs. He fights the System.

If this was an American movie, it would be much talked about. The action scenes are non-choreographic, filmed with a nervous hand camera. It's a cruel brutal fairytale, but still very professional

Nothing short of a cultural phenomenon

[breno_bacci · 8/10 · 12 February 2011]

I know I'm not supposed to link to other dynamic content here on IMDb, but I think it's worth pointing fellow users to order reviews by Prolific Authors, then read Cláudio de Carvalho's review to this movie. It is the only one of all reviews here, and I've read them, which has accurate information in a well-written form. There's little to add to what Cláudio already said, but if you're still not convinced, there are some extra stuff going on in and around this movie to incite your curiosity.

First, the context, time and social appraisal this movie has received on the box-office weekend is even more complicated than we once thought. I'd just like to say I'm not a sucker for ratings or box-office earnings, but the fact that it toppled any other movie in Brazilian theaters, national or not, is obviously noteworthy.

One month or so after the movie premiered, the actual BOPE was critical, alongside Brazil's Army and Rio State civil and military police, not to mention the huge political circus involved therein - on what's been infamously called The Invasion of the Complexo do Alemão, a huge gathering of equally enormous favela "clusters".

It was the start of a new era on the fight against corruption, organized crime and political inaction. Or so we're led to believe. It turns out not only the anti-hero Captain Nascimento is next to irrelevant on the fight against the Powers that Be, but so is pretty much everyone else.

Some people - myself included - have speculated that politicians used the upside-down popularity of the movie to go ahead with the invasion in the Alemão. I don't know where Padilha stands on this, but I think I have a quite good idea on where he stands, as far as idolizing the police, BOPE, Nascimento or violent acts of any sort go. But who would have thought? We're THIS stupid. Fortunately, the Invasion was bloodless. Yes, fortunately and extremely weird.

Anythewho... Add to that another unexpected impact of the movie on police crackdown on illegal DVD sales. While the first one notoriously skyrocketed pirate DVD purchases, which contributed to its fast insertion on public culture - the second one was remarkably unseen, or with good quality, in the streets with the camelôs.

Overall, I'd classify this movie as a masterpiece on its own. I took 2 points out of it for being a sequel, but I'm torn and seriously considering changing to 10/10. "City of God" didn't have a sequel, and it's good just like that. In the other hand, if we didn't have this sequel, we wouldn't have such a powerful and strong movie, one that speaks deep - or should - to our innermost misconceptions about poverty and the mind-numbing War on Drugs.

Unfortunately, the Steven Seagal-esque Brazil took a stand and it wasn't the one I like the most. People in power or not have and will keep misconstruing Padiha's work because we're just like that, we love to choose the moron way.

Powerful movie. A must see for those who are interested in social problems

[aalleekk1989 · 9/10 · 9 March 2015]

There are a handful of movies that provoke the same emotional reaction so consistently as this one. I have watched it over at least 5 times.

The movie is very intense in that all the scenes are very well- connected and well balanced between narration and action. There is much less action and violence than the first one, but it is compensated by the well written script, which keeps audience on the edge of the seat as the whole storyline unfolds.

I felt like I have grown with the protagonist from the first movie. As his fight has gone from tactical to strategical, the perspective of the movie has graduated to higher, more holistic level.

Though fictional, the movie tells a story that many different countries share- a society hijacked by systematic corruption, social inequality, and gang violence. As credit rolls, I found myself sitting in silence pondering my role in this ecology, how we have come to this, and more importantly, how we can extricate ourselves from this situation. I believe this is precisely what the director wanted us to think.

The acting and soundtracks are up to the standards in my opinion, and the action scenes are much closer to reality than most Hollywood movies.

Unfortunately, no movie is perfect; in my opinion, the characters are not very well developed. It is a movie dedicated to a political message, and I respect the decision of the director to make it so. However, that means lengthy narration outlining the structure of the corrupted system took priority over develop connection between the audience and the characters. I personally would prefer using more acting, interactions, and development of the plot itself as oppose to plain verbal narration.

Nonetheless, it is a great movie and I would definitely recommend it to those who are interested in political and social topics.

Best Brazilian movie I've ever seen

[somekid305 · 10/10 · 26 May 2012]

Master-peace Great quality, actors are good, and the plot is amazing. Although its in Portuguese u can still understand everything with subs. The plot is about how the corruption in Brazil and how it affects everyone. Its the squeal and original is pretty good and ties in with this one but in this one the budget was higher so the movie was well produced and actors were into their role which gave it a certain aspect the normal Brazilian movies don't have. In all i love this movie and can relate to it in so many ways that its even amazes me............ ........ .......... ........ ....... ..... ....... ...............

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Great but not perfect

[paske2001 · 7/10 · 25 October 2010]

Tropa de Elite 2 - O inimigo agora é outro (Elite Squad 2 - The enemy is other now) is a great movie, but I don't think it has the same impact as the first.. Now Capitain Nascimento is a Subsecretary of Security of the State of Rio de Janeiro and try to put an end to the drug traffic without weapons.. the movies is much more a drama movie about investigation than an action one. And it is the only "flaw" I can see on it, since lots went to the movie expecting the same action as the first movie.

Elite Squad 2 is more for Brazilian public, and try to make some correlations between the drug traffic and Brazilian politicians in several aspects.. and does it well. It is 7/10 as a drama and 7/10 as an action movie.

The real Brazil

[ChavalBR · 10/10 · 14 October 2010]

This movie has a message every Brazilian should think about. The problem in Brazil is not the criminals, not the police, not the politics, it's THE PEOPLE.

"Tropa de Elite 2" is different from the first one, so I won't say if it's better or worse. The story is very well thought and produced, shows the true Brazil, you will laugh about it because will sound familiar.

The movie is very tense, Captain Nascimento is under constant mental pressure or out in the streets in very well produced action scenes. His narration tells again the whole story and branches through the characters showing "the system" has it's own life and it's ready to take you.