Review of Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) by Tomas T — 13 Jan 2013

In direct continuum for 2007 action film Elite Squad (Tropa De Elite), Director Jose Padilha delivers much of the same with the squeal Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within, but this time with a more structured script. The original Tropa De Elite shocked viewers with ultra violence and realistic action, but it's breathtaking pace left many confused. Elite Squad 2 corrects some of those mistakes and is a more easier to approach overall.

The story continues to follow Lt. Colonel Nascimento (Wagner Moura) and how he gains better means to fight corruption and crime in Rio de Janeiro through an unexpected promotion. As citizens of Rio De Janeiro get more and more fed up with drug gangs and violence, Nascimento finally has the political power to expand Battalion of Special Operations (BOPE) and put an end to drug dealers reign. Unfortunately, the power vacuum left by drug dealers give rise for an more dangerous enemy - Corrupted Government and Police force - for Nascimento to deal with.

As stated before, Elite Squad 2 has a more structured script than its predecessor and and the violence level has been toned down somewhat. Make no mistake, there is still plenty of violence and action scenes but in comparison to the first film, Elite Squad 2 is more focused on assessing the politics and system corruption. As a positive surprise these changes make the sequel into a better and more interesting film than its predecessor.