Es algo que siempre me molesta. ¿Es necesario mover tanto la cámara? No digo que no se pueda hacer cámara en mano, ¿pero tan exageradamente rápido? Es como una carrera por meter más planos y más veloces cada vez. No se consigue así el ritmo, pero parece que está de moda y hasta que no se pase, habrá que aguantarloLa película en general la ves y vale, te la crees, pues sí. Pero, no sé, no da para más. No es que me interese mucho.Hay ratos que me sobran, lo cual la hacen larga. Tiene demasiada voz en off. No consigo entrar cuando me cuenta una voz en off en vez de la película.Los actores, no sé si serán todos profesionales, pero si te los crees, aunque no creo que los malos, no sean más malos en la realidad.La iluminación no es mala, pero tendría que ser mejor. Meterte más de lleno.El director, a mí no me gusta. Hay veces que no veo lo que pasa, por su cámara. No por moverla más rápido se da más ritmo. No consigue atraparme y me sobra película.A ver como es la segunda parte, pero me temo que será peor. It's something that always bothers me. Is it necessary to move the camera so much? I'm not saying that you can not make camera in hand, but so overly fast? It's like a race to get more planes and faster each time. The rhythm is not achieved in this way, but it seems that it is fashionable and until it is over, it will have to be enduredThe film in general you see it and it's okay, you believe it, so yes. But, I do not know, it does not give for more. It's not that I'm very interested.There are moments that I have left over, which make it long.It has too much voice in off. I can not get in when he tells me a voiceover instead of the movie.The actors, I do not know if they will all be professionals, but if you believe them, although I do not believe that the bad guys are not worse in reality.Lighting is not bad, but it should be better. Get in more fully.The director, I do not like it. Sometimes I do not see what happens, because of his camera. Not by moving it faster is given more rhythm. He can not catch me and I have a movie left over.Let's see how the second part is, but I'm afraid it will be worse.

ELITE SQUAD is another top-notch Brazilian thriller following in the footsteps of CITY OF GOD (the two films share a writer, I believe). Although the storyline is completely different, the two films share plenty of stylistic similarities: the gritty, on-the-streets style filming, the realism, the multi-layered storytelling, the realistic and sympathetic characters, the hectic pace.Needless to say that this is an excellent film that offers a thorough exploration of policing in Brazil and all of the violence and corruption that comes with it. ELITE SQUAD does tackle the menace of drug gangs and the like but that's not the sole focus here; instead we learn of the everyday corruption present in all aspects of the police force. The dialogue crackles with electricity and the performances are exemplary, particularly from Andre Ramiro, who plays my favourite character, a naive law student drawn into a dark and murky world.Fizzing with energy and loaded with brutal violence, ELITE SQUAD is as good as it gets for a contemporary thriller and it's also one of those films that educates as well as entertains. Be warned, it pulls no punches. A sequel, ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN follows, and inevitably I have to track it down.

Life and death are separated by just a moment. We choose to live in a certain way, to achieve specific goals. When all is said and done, though, will we be happy with all we've accomplished?Working as a police officer surrounded with gangs and crime is a daunting task. Knowing tomorrow could very well be your last day is a fact that will haunt your personal life and remain with you while on duty. Then realizing your own fellow officers and superiors are supporting corruption is an even harder pill to swallow. Frequently we risk our lives fighting for the good cause; attempting to preserve peace in a land filled with turmoil. Sometimes it's hard to discern which side is doing that. BOPE is an extreme special forces unit of the military police designed to handle conflicts with lethal measures. Every day these officers, who are parents, spouses and siblings to others, risk their lives and the lives of others in the name of justice. After extensive fighting and anguish, it comes to a point where you question the efficacy of your work. All the lives you have permanently altered, loved ones you have taken away and the effect this has had on your own family. Whether BOPE or a more rudimentary strategy to decrease crime rates is better is subject to debate for another discussion, but the impact BOPE has on the lives of innocent civilians, both positively and negatively, is remarkable. At the end of the day, after all is finished, will you have fought the good fight? Was there a better, more effective, approach? Tropa de Elite is an enlightening film, not for the violent tactics used or exposure of urban warfare in favelas, but because it reveals the lives of those involved and how they significantly influence each other.

This movie pictures Brazil's reality in so many different aspects that it's impossible to describe it in a few words. What we watch in it is our everyday... violent events we see on the news and sometimes, unfortunately, we may experience such events in person... or hear them from friends and relatives.It's not just an action movie, it touches deeper trying to show what leads characters to the events depicted in the movie. Jose Padilha (director) successfully presents us stereotypes in such a complex way that they look more than just stereotypes (like "hey, I know a guy just like that character". But maybe it's just because I'm Brazilian).The movie (thanks to Padilha, very well developed) starts with distinct stories about 2 friends just graduating from the police academy, corrupt police officers, wealthy college students and a police elite squad named BOPE (Batalhao de OPeracoes Especiais, Special Operations Battalion). They all relate to each other lightly, but their strong bond is the crime in the city of Rio de Janeiro.The story is narrated by Captain Nascimento, an honest and incorruptible commander of a BOPE battalion. Under his point of view (but enough elements are presented, so viewers aren't restricted to Nascimento's point o view), he describes how the poor, the rich and the corrupt keep spinning the wheel of crime and how endemic it is in Rio de Janeiro.The plot is very well structured and filled with nice subplots (BOPE military training, Pope's visit to Rio, action scenes, drama scenes, twists...), this is a very nice way to see Brazilian's society... not because it's complicated, but because sometimes it's just this simple.The actors in this movie are very good too, it's worth mentioning how Wagner Moura is outstanding as Capt. Nascimento.And the action scenes are very nice too, seems very real.Probably one of my favorite movies.