Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Elite Squad Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 16, 2008

Hand-held camerawork, a suffocating amount of graphic violence, and extreme political statements set the tone in "Elite Squad" (2007), Brazilian helmer José Padilha’s disturbing depiction of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Hailed by some as a celebration of fascism, the film certainly tiptoes between promoting and criticizing in a very controversial fashion. Parallels with Fernando Meirelles’ "City of God" are inevitable, but "Elite Squad" takes violence and paranoia a step further. Winner of Golden Bear Award (Best Film) at this year's Berlinale.

The film follows the deeds of an elite unit of highly-skilled commandos known as BOPE. They appear on the streets of Rio only when the police fails in its dealings with the city's powerful drug lords. BOPE also follow a different set of rules -- they shoot and kill their targets without worrying about the public, the media, or the political elite.

The leader of BOPE, Capitão Nascimento (Wagner Moura), is a man with serious anxiety issues. He does not take prisoners and, whenever possible, lets his machine gun talk to the criminals. Given the situations BOPE find themselves in each time they enter the slums of Rio, Capitão Nascimento's machine gun is heard talking a lot.

When a fellow officer named Neto (Caio Jungueira) is killed by an angry drug lord, BOPE invade the slums and spur a conflict of unimaginable proportions. Civilians who stand in their way are quickly dealt with, while those suspected of assisting the killers are shot even quicker. Elite Squad comes to an end when Neto’s assassin gets his head blown off.

BOPE

Highly decorated at this year's Berlinale, Elite Squad is a powerful film with a very disturbing story. Padilha's camera goes deep into the heart of Rio de Janeiro where tourists are impossible to see and drugs are practically everywhere. The director's camera also effectively captures the chaotic movement of people who have come to accept that their lives are irreversibly damaged.

A lot of the controversy surrounding Elite Squad has to do with the tone of the film as well as how it justifies its depiction of violence. Citing corruption, unwillingness to follow the law by those elected to serve it, and apathy, Elite Squad goes on to promote the use of force with a truly intimidating passion. The film's "recruiting" part, in particular, must have rubbed a lot of critics the wrong way, as the preaching in it is not only alarming but genuinely creepy.

To convincingly capture the desperate living conditions in Rio de Janeiro's slums, however, would have been impossible without resorting to graphic violence. As the film reveals, violence is the preferred language on both sides of the law and clearly something the locals have grown accustomed to. Hence, while Elite Squad could be interpreted by outsiders unfamiliar with Rio de Janeiro's underworld as dangerously preachy to those who monitor and visit its slums it is probably an accurate description of the madness that reigns there.

Visually, Padilha and his team have enhanced the controversial tone of the film often claustrophobic hand-held camera footage and an abundance of effective color manipulations. Obviously, the intent was to imitate the nauseating and chaotic environment of the slums where violence is a way of life.

Finally, I wish to spare a few words on the controversial finale. Not surprisingly, Elite Squad abruptly ends as if to suggest that the madness it depicts is unsolvable. There is a sense of closure as far as Neto’s revenge is concerned, but the bigger story the film leaves behind has an open ending. Its message is certainly very disturbing and, for my own sake, I hope, greatly exaggerated.

Elite Squad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, José Padilha's Elite Squad arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Optimum Releasing.

Elite Squad arrives on Blu-ray with an impressive transfer where the basics are notably strong. In fact, it is somewhat surprising to see how well it looks in 1080p given the fact that an overwhelming amount of it was shot with a hand-held camera at night. This being said, the color-scheme in Elite Squad is practically impossible to describe accurately – boosted yellows, overflowing into orange and red, are countered with heavy blacks, which during the shooting scenes make it almost impossible to follow all of the action taking place on the screen. Apparently, this is precisely what José Padilha intended so he could accurately recreate the sense of chaos reigning in Rio's slums. Contrast is equally difficult to describe. During the daylight scenes the film looks sharp and vivid, but during the nighttime scenes the vividness often evolves into a large sea of lush colors imitating a large neon billboard. Add to the mix the jerky motion produced by the hand-held camera and this is the best description I could provide for the, in my opinion, incredibly complex video structure Elite Squad boasts. The actual print, however, is very healthy – it is free of debris, marks, and dirt. Furthermore, I did not detect any disturbing patterns of macroblocking. The only critical note I have pertains to a small amount of video noise, which is mostly noticeable during a few of the indoor scenes. Aside from that, Elite Squad looks very strong. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" release which you won't be able to play on your Region-A hardware. You must have a Region-Free, or native Region-B, player).

Elite Squad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray disc contains a Portuguese: DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix and optional English subtitles. Elite Squad packs an enormous amount of action and the DTS-HD MA track certainly treats it right. The chaotic shooting scenes from the slums sound absolutely incredible, and you will be hard-pressed not to recognize how effective the audio is in enhancing the sense of paranoia José Padilha and team opted for. Furthermore, there is a lot of activity in the rear channels (screams, random shots, etc) and those of you with elaborate audio equipments will undoubtedly be pleased with the manner in which the DTS-HD MA mix delivers. The supporting music soundtrack is generally quite convincing as well. Finally, the dialog is clear and very easy to follow. I personally did not detect any hissing, pops, or cracks.

Elite Squad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In addition to the original theatrical trailer the only other extra material on this Blu-ray disc is an interesting interview with the director of Elite Squad José Padilha. Here talks about the controversial message of his film as well as the political outcry it apparently spurred in its native Brazil.

Elite Squad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A painful dissection of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Elite Squad is a film with a very controversial message. It seems to me that it is only a step away from promoting fascism as the ultimate cure for corruption. Nevertheless, I liked its uncompromising desire to expose the deep wounds of a society in a state of free falling. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Optimum Releasing, is of very good quality. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.