Tropa de Elite

Infobox Film
name = The Elite Squad
(Tropa de Elite)


caption = Tropa de Elite theatrical poster.
director = José Padilha
producer = José Padilha
Marcos Prado
writer = Bráulio Mantovani
José Padilha
Rodrigo Pimentel
narrator =
starring = Wagner Moura
Caio Junqueira
André Ramiro
music =
cinematography =
editing = Daniel Rezende
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = Brazil:
October 5 2007 (Rio de Janeiro & São Paulo)

October 12 2007 (nationwide)
United States:
September 19 2008 (Limited)
runtime = 118 min.
country = Brazil
language = Portuguese
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website = http://www.tropadeeliteofilme.com.br/
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0861739

"Tropa de Elite" (IPA2|'trɔ.pɐ ʤi̯e.'li.tʃI, English title: "The Elite Squad". Literally: "Elite Troop") is a Brazilian film released on October 5, 2007. The movie is a semi-fictional account of the BOPE ( _pt. Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais), the Special Police Operations Battalion of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police. It is the second feature film and first fiction film of director José Padilha, who had previously directed the acclaimed documentary "Bus 174". The script was written by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Bráulio Mantovani, based on the book "Elite da Tropa" by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two former BOPE captains, André Batista and Rodrigo Pimentel.

The film won the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival.

Plot summary

"Elite Squad" ("Tropa de Elite") is an intense and astonishing look at Rio de Janeiro’s notorious favelas, the volatile slums on the edge of the city. The film is set in 1997 and presents an intimate look at the city’s vast and intricate web of corruption. Drug trafficking militias have virtual control within the favelas while the police run their criminal enterprises outside. The elite BOPE force (State Police Special Operations Battalion) combats drug trafficking – keeping order has its price though and their actions make it difficult to distinguish right from wrong and justice from revenge.BOPE Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) is facing a crisis: in addition to the pressures of fighting within war zones, the Captain must find and train his own replacement so he can escape the day to day violence and be close to his wife who is about to give birth to their first child.Two of the force’s newest recruits, Neto (Caio Junqueira) and Matias (André Ramiro), are childhood friends: one is quick on the trigger to maintain order and the other refuses to compromise his ideals.Together they are the perfect replacement. Alone they may not have what it takes to survive.

Cast

* Wagner Moura as Capitão Nascimento
* Caio Junqueira as Neto Gouveia
* André Ramiro as André Matias
* Maria Ribeiro as Rosane
* Fernanda Machado as Maria
* Fernanda de Freitas as Roberta Alunde
* Paulo Vilela as Edu
* Milhem Cortaz as Capitão Fábio
* Marcelo Valle as Capitão Oliveira
* Fábio Lago as Baiano

Inspiration

The movie is based on "Elite da Tropa", a book by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two BOPE policemen, André Batista and Rodrigo Pimentel, which provided a semi-fictional account of the daily routine of the BOPE as well as some historical events, based on the experiences of the latter two. The book was controversial at the time of release, and reportedly resulted in Batista being reprimanded and censored by the Military Police. The book was controversial in its description of the BOPE as a "killing machine", as well as detailing an alleged aborted assassination attempt on then-governor Leonel Brizola. [Monken, Mario Hugo. [http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/ult95u120946.shtml Livro sobre elite da PM do Rio causou punição, diz autor] . Folha de S. Paulo. April 29, 2006. Retrieved on September 5, 2007.]

Production leak

In August 2007, prior to the movie's release to theaters, a preliminary cut of the film was leaked and made available for download on the Internet. The cut, which included English title cards but no subtitles, was leaked from the company responsible for subtitling the film, resulting in one person being fired and a criminal investigation. It was estimated that about 11.5 million people had seen the leaked version of the movie in 2007. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974360.html?categoryid=1278&cs=1 'Elite' stirs controversy, box office] ]

Popularity and box office

"Tropa de Elite" became one of the most popular Brazilian movies in history. According to DataFolha, 77% of São Paulo residents knew about the movie. The word of mouth was also extremely good with 80% of the people rating the movie as excellent or good according to the same company.cite web|author=Datafolha|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ilustrada/ult90u334403.shtml|title="Tropa de Elite" já foi visto por 19% dos paulistanos|publisher=Folha de S. Paulo|date=October 6, 2007] .The movie was released in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo on October 5, 2007, with a nationwide release on October 12, 2007. Up to now 2.5 million people have seen it at the theaters.cite web|author=Ag. Estado|url=http://br.noticias.yahoo.com/s/11012008/25/entretenimento-tropa-elite-viu-copia-pirata-doa.html|title='Tropa de Elite' pode render doações |publisher=Agência Estado|date=January 11, 2008] . In Rio and São Paulo, with no promotion other than billboards, 180,000 people saw the movie during its opening weekend. [ [http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/cultura/2007/10/09/tropa_de_elite_provoca_tensao_e_conquista_publico_em_sala_paulistana_1037915.html] .]

The movie was also the cover for three of Brazil's most important weekly magazines, "Veja", "Carta Capital" and "Época". On the beginning of 2008, it was confirmed that Rede Globo will produce a TV series based on the movie. [ [http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/ilustrada/ult90u373344.shtml Folha Online - Ilustrada - Globo vence Record e leva "Tropa de Elite", informa Daniel Castro - 18/02/2008 ] ]

It also was a big social phenomenon. Slangs from the movie were incorporated in daily conversations and songs from the soundtrack, such as Tropa de Elite by Tihuana and Rap das Armas, became big radio hits, topping the Top 10 from popular Top 40 radios such as Jovem Pan and Mix FM.

Awards

On 16 February 2008 the movie was awarded with the best movie award of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden Bear. [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSL1645315020080216?feedType=RSS&feedName=entertainmentNews&sp=true The Elite Squad in Berlin] ]

Controversy

When the film was first leaked, it caused a major controversy for its portrayal of Capitão Nascimento's unpunished police brutality in "favelas". After the exhibition in Berlin Festival, critic Jay Weissberg, in a "Variety" article, called the movie "a one-note celebration of violence-for-good that plays like a recruitment film for fascist thugs". [ [http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=review&id=2478&reviewid=VE1117936168&cs=1 Variety - The Elite Squad Review] ] Michel Misse, a researcher for Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in an interview to "Carta Capital", tried to explain why Capitão Nascimento is cheered: "as the judiciary system cannot keep up with the demand for punishment, some may think civil rights leads to unpunishment. And then, they want illegal solutions. That's why Capitão Nascimento is called". [ [http://cartacapital.com.br/2007/10/465/heroi-torturador Herói torturador — CartaCapital ] ]

References

ee also

* BOPE
* "Bus 174"
* "City of God"

External links

* "imdb title|id=0861739|title=Tropa de Elite
* " [http://www.tropadeeliteofilme.com.br/ Official site] "
* " [http://uk.player.playnetworks.net/popup.php?mid=1108&version=2.0&channel_user_id=441100018-1&width=640&height=380&bgcolor=000000 Official Trailer with English subtitles] "

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Golden Bear winner
years=2008
before="Tuya's Marriage"
after="TBD"