This film is a sequel to "Tropa de Elite," and in my opinion, it's a case where the follow-up surpassed the original in every respect.
The story is narrated by Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura), a leader of BOPE, an elite squad of specially trained police, created specifically to combat crime in Rio's favelas. BOPE's symbol is a skull. This force is ruthless and trained in urban warfare.
The story opens with a prison riot. BOPE is sent in to deal with it, under the leadership of Nascimento's right-hand man, Captain André Matias (André Ramiro). Meanwhile, Diogo Fraga, a university professor and husband to Nascimento's ex-wife, has been called in by authorities to negotiate with the rioting prisoners. Things go bad very quickly, and both Nascimento and Matias pay a political price. Matias is demoted, but Nascimento is promoted to an administrative job in Rio's security department.
From his new position, he is able to witness the corruption that infects the police department and the political system. Nascimento sets out to reform things, but he underestimated the extent of the corruption, and the flexibility of those involved to adapt to the changing situation. The voice-over narration is very effective in showing us how Nascimento becomes increasingly disillusioned.
The director does a very good job of combining fast-paced action sequences, with lots of shooting and guerrilla warfare, with the developing story of the rampant corruption. The film turns into a political thriller as much as a crime story, and Nascimento develops into a much more human and sympathetic character than he was in the first film, or even the beginning of this one. In the end, he allies himself with his former enemy Fraga to expose the corruption. The film ends with a fly-over of Brasilia, with Nascimento reminding viewers that the corruption has its source at the very highest levels of government.
This film was a huge success in Brazil, and also got attention here in the US. I have watched it several times, and found that there was so much that I missed the first time, it really requires at least two viewings to fully appreciate it. The acting is excellent, the action sequences are exciting and realistic (I didn't see much evidence of CGI), and the production values are outstanding throughout. Best of all, the film becomes almost cerebral as Nascimento starts to figure out what's really going on. He changes from a brutal, reactive police officer to a man who is compelled to re-examine not only his entire life's work, but all of his preconceptions and values. That Wagner Moura is able to portray this transformation in a believable way is a tribute to his abilities as an actor.
I viewed this film in HD on Netflix streaming, and the image and sound were both excellent. Subtitles are easy to read, but they fly by quickly, as the dialogue is very fast. I had a hard time catching a lot of what was being said because of the speed. The second time through, I was able to grasp a lot more, but this is a film where I definitely need the subtitles.
I highly recommend this film. Like any film that deals with crime in the favelas, there's a lot of violence, but by shifting the focus of the film from a police story to a thriller, the director moves it to a higher level.
Availability:
- DVD and Blu-Ray for sale on Amazon
- DVD rental from Netflix.
- Streaming video from Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, and iTunes
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