Wednesday 4 January 2012

Film: Elite Squad: The Enemy Within



We kick off the 2012 reviews with a cracker from Brazil that should appeal to anyone interested in world cinema.

When Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) takes responsibility for a botched prison hostage rescue he expects to be kicked out of the Brazilian police. Instead he is given a position within the political machine and decides to use this to benefit his colleagues on the street.

When the police begin to get the better of the drug dealers Nascimento soon learns that he faces a more dangerous foe, corrupt officers and those who stand to make political gain through their activities.

This sequel to 2007s The Elite Squad contains a curious mix of explosive action, political drama and family problems that works very well indeed.

Evoking memories of the best of South American cinema (City Of God, Amores Perros) this intricately woven tale comes together beautifully and features fantastic performances from all involved.

There’s no need to have seen the original (I didn’t) as this works as a stand-alone film although my compulsion to experience events leading to those depicted here make it a must-see.

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is available on DVD in the UK now.

Ric’s Rating: 84%

2 comments:

  1. Good review! Happy to see the sequel is worth-watching. Will check it out.

    ReplyDelete

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