Review of Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) by Dave J — 14 May 2014

Monday, May 12, 2014.

(2010) Elite Squad: The Enemy Within.

(In Portuguese with English subtitles).

CRIME DRAMA.

After watching one of Bill Mahr's "Vice" news clips on HBO about some of the drug trade that exists within some of Rio De Janeiro's streets, watching this film didn't feel challenging enough since I feel that the problem is much more complicated than what this film is conveying to it's audience. Had this film been made like 20 years ago, I would've like recommended this film highly, but as a result of seeing so many films similar to this one. Again, it can become tiring because so many of them had already been made throughout the years, which the only difference is that it takes place in "Rio" this time. Financially successful in it's native country, it's success lies solely from the area where it's been made from. Mexico, Hong Kong or the United States had also made movies about corruption within the police force and this film seems to have echoed it from those original films made before it.

The previous film, called "The Elite Squad" was based on a novel that was partially based on fact- similar to "City Of God" which viewers can actually figure out that it's based on actual events and at the same time changing specific things. "Mississippi Burning" and "JFK" are two examples where it's about the idea that is based on fact using fictional characters that had never existed nor had never happened- they're reminiscent of 'what if' scenarios, providing viewers are aware about it. Much of the set up of the entire movie has Lt. Colonel Nascimento (Wagner Moura) 'narrating' his entire experience, started by the time he got promoted to head an elite squad. It's baffling, because it resulted into controversy regarding a corrupt prison guard being bribed by a gang member for a piece(hand gun). This gang member's main goal was to use it on other rival gang members who're locked in the same prison as him. And by the time this guy completed his objective, the swat then moves in with one, (to be precise it's Captain André Matias played by André Ramiro) of them shooting down the leader in cold blood even though he was going to give himself up. Human rights activist/ journalist, by the name of Diogo Fraga (Irandhir Santos) calls for justice which of course, nothing gets done or goes anywhere. It does however, promotes Squad leader, Nascimento in the process to a much higher rank. And that is when one of the real problems begin to start, including a couple of journalists attempting to unmasking the corruption within the elite unit and government. One of the main things I didn't like was the fact that, since the movie was also fictionalized, why can't the main corrupt official suffer a much more grueling death since viewers always have to endure the atrocities in which this guy had inflicted, but once the tables are turned, it turns it into another mafia style movie that's similar to "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas" which viewers don't really need to see again. I mean, if viewers have to subject this corrupt cop blatantly getting away, shooting and torturing others without worrying about getting caught or suffer consequences, that we deserve to see this main bad guy suffering the same fate, and we don't.

2 out of 4 stars.