I had the pleasure of attending the Italian premiere of the Brazilian movie: Trope de Elite. It took place on June 3rd 2008 at the cinema Fiamma in Rome.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. The movie was released in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo on October 5, 2007, with a nationwide release on October 12, 2007. Currently, 2.5 million people have seen it in theaters. In Rio and São Paulo, with only billboard promotion, 180,000 people saw the movie during its opening weekend.The movie was also the cover of four of Brazil’s most important weekly magazines, Veja, Carta Capital and Época. At the beginning of 2008, it has been confirmed that Rede Globo will produce a TV series based on the movie.
On the 16 February 2008, the movie was awarded “Best Movie” at the Berlin International Film Festival, the famous Golden Bear.
The movie, set in 1997, depicts the story of Captain Nascimento, a BOPE captain who leaves his battalion in search of a replacement for him, determined to find a safer haven for his family after the birth of his first child. At the same time, the movie focuses on two childhood friends, Matias and Neto, who become cadets in the military police but become dismayed at the corruption surrounding them. Eventually, both Nascimento and the cadets’ paths intersect when the captain hopes that one of the two may become the substitute he is eager to find, as both decide to join the BOPE.
At this point of the article you will ask yourself:
What is the BOPE?
Please watch the movie trailer to find out the answer.
The BOPE (Portuguese: Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais) is the Special Police Operations Battalion of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police. Troupe d’Elite is the second feature film and first fiction film for 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.
If you loved City of God and Carandiru, you have to see this movie. It is quite possibly the most complex Brazilian movie about violence. It combines the issue of violence in Rio de Janeiro, the police corruption and society’s responsibility to it. More importantly, Elite Squad is a terrific thriller: nervous, intriguing and entertaining. Cinema at it’s best.
