Elite Squad
| Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | José Padilha |
| Written by | Bráulio Mantovani José Padilha Rodrigo Pimentel |
| Produced by | José Padilha Marcos Prado |
| Starring | Wagner Moura Caio Junqueira André Ramiro |
Release dates |  October 12 2007 January 25 2008 |
Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | Brazil |
| Language | Portuguese |
Tropa de Elite (English working title: Elite Squad) is a Brazilian film to be officially released on October 12, 2007. The movie is a semi-fictional account of the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (Special Police Operations Battalion) of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police. It is the second feature film and first fiction film of 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 A Elite da Tropa by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two former BOPE captains, André Batista and Rodrigo Pimentel.
Plot summary
The movie, set in 1997, depicts the story of Captain Nascimento, a BOPE captain, who with the imminent birth of his first child, is determined to leave the battalion and find a safer position for the sake of his family, but first he must find a suitable replacement for him. 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.
Inspiration
The movie is based on A Elite da Tropa, a book by sociologist Luiz Eduardo Soares and two BOPE policemen, André Batista and Rodrigo Pimentel, which provided a semi-fictional account of the daily routine of the BOPE as well as some historical events, based on the experiences of the latter two. The book was controversial at the time of release, and reportedly resulted in Batista being reprimanded and censured by the Polícia Militar. The book was controversial in its description of the BOPE as a "killing machine", as well as detailing an alleged aborted assassination attempt on then-governor Leonel Brizola.[1]
Production leak
In August, 2007, prior to the movie's release to theaters, a non-final cut of the film was leaked and made available for download on the Internet.[2] The cut, which included English title cards but no subtitles, was leaked from the company responsible for subtitling the film by audio technicians William Correia Ferreira, Eduardo Cardoso and Marcelo Santos, and has resulted in one person being fired (Santos) and a criminal investigation.[3]
Television rights dispute
Even before the release od the film, Rede Globo and Rede Record (the two major networks of Brazil) are in a dispute for the rights to broadcast the film. Rede Record is ahead of the dispute because it has a business agreement with Universal Studios, which gives priority to the network when concerning the distribution of its films. Globo tried to win the dispute by offering the producers a TV series based on the film, and now Record is offering the same. [4]
References
- ^ Monken, Mario Hugo.Livro sobre elite da PM do Rio causou punição, diz autor. Folha de S. Paulo. April 29, 2006. Retrieved on September 5, 2007.
- ^ Arantes, Silvana. Ministro Gilberto Gil defende "nova atitude" sobre pirataria]. Folha de S. Paulo. August 31, 2007. Retrieved on September 5, 2007.
- ^ Martins, Marco Antônio. Ator envolvido em pirataria de 'Tropa de elite' presta depoimento]. O Globo. August 30, 2007. Retrieved on September 5, 2007.
- ^ Agência Estado. "Record ganha direito de exibir Tropa de Elite na TV". Jornal A Tarde. August 30, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
See also
External links
- Official site
- Official Trailer - You Tube
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