Review of Elite Squad (2007) by Rob L — 15 Mar 2010

The lawlessness of urban Brazil has been spectacularly portrayed on film before, most notably in City Of God and Carandiru. This impressive third example started out as a documentary but mutated into a work of fiction when director Padilha experienced problems gaining the cooperation of the Rio police. The result is compelling viewing : a corrupt, venal security force, the very ?Elite Squad? of the title are involved in a vicious, ultraviolent war on drugs and the resultant mayhem sees no punches pulled.

A superb early scene depicts law students debating Foucault and the police as one of the instruments of a corrupt establishment. Although unsympathetic in almost every way, the film?s cops are shown to have little choice but to pursue the path they take: they are in a zero-sum game due to low pay and morale, and society has left them no choice to kill or be killed, exploit or be exploited. That said, their adversaries are seen as equally flawed: middle and upper class drug users come in for heavy criticism too in what often seems a purely nihilistic film; its Rozzers versus bad guys scenario not a million miles away from TV?s ?The Shield?.

The Brazilian films that have garnered international attention in the past decade or so have been striking indeed, although whether this quasi-continent of a country is quite as dangerous as these lead one to believe is a question for those who live there or have visited.