Saturday 12 February 2011

Tropa de Elite 2

A cop treating a corrupt politician like a common criminal. My dream come true.


Normally sequels tend to be worse than the original, and José Padilha set a very high standard with his previous Tropa de Elite. He could make a good movie and still be worse than the first. But believe me he really delivered!
Tropa de Elite 2 is just as good if not better than the original. The story has evolved, growned, matured as a good wine. And now we are presented with a larger picture where it's made clear that the corruption in Rio de Janeiro is not only between the drug lords and military police, but also involves the politicians. And when the drug lords are removed from the picture by the BOPE, the corrupt police is free to roam the slums of Rio de Janeiro and show that they are no better than the drug lords. It's now up to the main character a compelling Coronel Nascimento, played by Wagner Moura, to fight the corrupt politicians.
The movie is almost perfect, there is a good story, good characters played by great actors, good action scenes, was made on a very low budget of $9M (many american "superstars" wouldn't get out of bed if they were payed what this movie cost) even though it's as good as any action movie.
But the greatest thing is that this movie, like the first, is an accurate picture of the current state of affairs in Rio de Janeiro, actually I would go as far as saying that this movie shows just the kind of people that are running the whole world not just Brazil, but that's another story.
This is an action movie with real substance! If you are alive you need to see this movie. you have no excuse.

Name: Tropa de Elite 2
Genre: Action
Date of Release: 2010
Director: José Padilha
Actors: Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, Maria Ribeiro
Rating: 10/10

2 comments:

Mr. Echo said...

I do not agree. Granted, the movie is pretty awesome, but it feels like they used their 15 mn of fame (from the first movie) to send out a political message in this one. It worked, but it lacks the bluntness and awe of the first.

Luskas said...

@Mr. Echo

You really think it lacks the bluntness and awe of the first? I'm not trying to change your opinion, I just think that the bluntness and awe of the first one was the social commentary it made. And in that regard, the second movie adds the political layer, one that many people seem to forget is there, and shows that they can be just as corrupt and are as deeply involved in the affairs as the drug dealers or policemen.