Review of Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) by Nate C — 23 Nov 2014

José Padilha's "Elite Squad: The Enemy Within" explores the deep-seated corruption riddling Rio de Janeiro through a visceral, powerful Brazilian drama. Building on the success of 2007's "Elite Squad," Lt. Colonel Nascimento is back to take the fight to the drug cartels as well as the corruption within Rio's law enforcement and political system, exposing the true depths of the city's social problems. Breathless, brutal, and thrilling. It's a gut punch of an action movie with political undertones.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) has devoted his entire life to taking down Rio de Janeiro's most notorious criminals. He leads a special ops group (NOPE) known for its uncompromising effectiveness, but his efforts haven't received a lot of support from the corrupt authorities. When Nascimento's attempts to defuse a prison riot, it turns into a blood bath, and the media creates a public frenzy. The government is eager to use the incident as an excuse to fire Nascimento, but the level of public support for the Colonel's actions is overwhelmingly positive. As such, Nascimento is promoted to a high-ranking security position. Initially, it seems that this new power will grant him the ability to fight crime even more effectively. Alas, it doesn't take long before he realizes that the corruption runs even deeper than he could have suspected. The system has no center, Nascimento tells us, and it always wins.

The corruption of the Brazilian political system serves as a backdrop to the unrestrained violence and tension that permeates throughout the film. The action sequences are swift, violent, and sharply crafted. "The Enemy Within" presents the question -- which is worse: the amoral politicians who run the city, or the violent cartels who oversee the slums? Padilha's film offers no easy answers, but the title is a tip-off as to where at least his sympathies lie.

The film, with its slick production and on-point narration by Moura as Nascimento is an edgy, action-drenched thriller dipped in blood and dirty politics. Still, even during its slickest Hollywood-style action sequences, it's hard to ignore the unyielding, socially conscious anger which fuels the movie. While "The Enemy Within" is not as punchy as its trigger-happy predecessor "Elite Squad," is an intriguing slice of drama with the advantage of a much more balanced standpoint. Previous crime dramas such as "City of God" (2002), "Carandiru" (2003) and Padhila's own 2002 debut "Bus 174" have helped make Brazilian cinema an international critically acclaimed medium. Thankfully, "Elite Squad: The Enemy Within" successfully continues with this trajectory.