Review of Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (2010) by Elee Z — 04 Apr 2012

ELITE SQUAD Is Elite Filmmaking.

Every so often, a film comes along - usually it arrives quietly, with very little pomp & circumstance - that reinvigorates cinema as we know it. The picture explodes onto the screen, immediately developing a following of faithful fans to sing its praises, almost effortlessly parroting (in a good way!) its messages in works of their own, be it reviews or academic papers or commentaries. The film inspires others to rise up and begin telling stories of their own, encouraging them to craft original tales from whatever corners of the world have given them their unique experiences, and these efforts invariably end up influencing the next whole generation of additional filmmakers to carry the torch. It's the 'circle of life,' as applied to film, and ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN is such a film.

Clearly, Director Jose Padilha owes his inspiration to some of the great crime films from the 70's and 80's, back at a time when Martin Scorsese and William Friedkin were doing what they were doing with MEAN STREETS and THE FRENCH CONNECTION, respectively. Obviously, you can see some inspiration from the likes of Brian de Palma, directing the virtuoso performance from Al Pacino in SCARFACE. Undoubtedly, a director like Michael Mann - who raised the bar with HEAT and even COLLATERAL - comes to mind as an ancestor to the kind of flicks crafted by Padilha. In no way as that meant as a detractor; ELITE SQUAD is exceptional - as noteworthy, original, and impactful as crime dramas come. Rather, it just shows that "quality" influences more "quality," and I've no doubt about the great things to come from Mr. Padilha.

Rio de Janeiro is in chaos. Crime rules, and the drug lords - even though they've been sheltered away in prison - are still calling the shots for what goes down on the wild streets. However, when Rio's Special Police Lt. Colonel Nascimento (played by Wagner Moura) fails to successfully end a prison hostage situation without the loss of life, the political organization still needs a 'hero' to show the masses that crime doesn't pay, and he's uncharacteristically promoted to managing the urban nation's campaign to wipe out gangs. Once he's removed the warlords, he inadvertently unleashes an even greater beast - the crooked government that runs the country from the shadows - and now he's become their target, with his friends and family also trapped within the cross-hairs of institutional corruption.

It's a brilliant tale, wide in scope, but never losing the personal connection to its lead characters. Despite indicting the entire organization of bad government, ELITE SQUAD always shows the true risks to the men and women who attempt to 'tame the beast' of change only to find themselves and their loved ones at even greater risk. Equal parts crime drama and investigatory procedural, the film maintains a blistering pace from start to finish, all the way never losing sight of the threats posed by a system fraught with dishonesty. It's never easy to do the right thing; in fact, in Padilha's world, it will almost always get you killed.

The disc comes issued by Flatiron Film Company but was produced in cooperation with several international film companies. It's being distributed by New Video here in the United States. Production qualities were very high - despite the obvious grime of the locations - and the violence here is played out to tremendous effect. This one ain't for the light-hearted, folks. It's a grim reality - one lived in by unfortunate folks who populate the slum surrounding big cities in foreign lands - making it all the more important to be seen and experienced. The disc includes a 45-minute 'making of' featurette that plays out strong enough, but, sadly, it doesn't match the intensity of the picture it compliments. I'd also be remiss to point out that ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN was an 'Official Selection' to the 2011 Sundance Film Festival as well as to the Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin. I've read about it on film boards for quite some time now; I can't tell you how pleased I am to have finally seen it firsthand. Indeed, I've watched it twice since it showed up in my mail.

Also, while I'll admit that the film is a sequel (it's predecessor, the first ELITE SQUAD, launched in 2007), no viewer has to have seen the first picture to understand the events of the second; I haven't, and this is no way tempered my enjoyment. If anything, it's only made me want to reach out and find the first installment in the life of the crime-fighting Nascimento character.

A cinema cocktail of crime and corruption, Jose Padilha's ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN is a break-through sensation. Everything I've read written about it is nothing less than spot on. The story bursts onto the screen with vivid characters and sequences tightly controlling the chaos in the frame.

HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION POSSIBLE. While I don't agree with all of the political messages within the film - especially some of the more liberal depictions of how society regress into criminality when institutions fail them - it's easy to put those ideas aside, sit back, and enjoy one incredible, highly-kinetic film experience. ELITE SQUAD is quality filmmaking of the highest order, and, as such, I give it my highest possible recommendation.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at New Video provided me with a DVD screener for the expressed purposes of writing this review.