The Elite Squad
| Submitted by: | Joao F Coelho jfocbr@yahoo.com 3/5/2008 5:35:06 PM PT |
What about "300"? That's a fascist movie, dont't you think?
| Submitted by: | Rafael Melo 2/18/2008 12:12:43 PM PT |
It looks like the technical problems in the Berlin showing of “Elite Squad” really confused the perception of many reviewers.
Just to make it clear. The narration and focus of the movie are not supposed to be neutral!! Of course they aren’t. The story is a 1st person description of the events made by the brutal cop himself. The narration sounds very credible as thoughts that came from the mind of a cop in that situation.
This adds a layer of complexity to the movie, because the intelligent viewer, in addition to interpreting their action, has to interpret their thoughts (and if really intelligent feel disgusted by them).
To call the film fascist because of the tone of the narration is completely missing the point.
As in movies such as “fighter”, one very effective way to get insight about a situation is to let the participants speak from themselves, and that’s what the movie does.
Concerning the movie's attitude towards the middle class:
There’s a recent study about the drug usage in Brazil by a very renowned institution (FGV foundation) that reports these numbers:
- 85% of drug users are white
- 62% are from the A economical class (the top class).
- 86% have between 10 and 29 years
- 88% are catholic.
- in schools, drug incidence is three times higher than in the rest of society.
So two points about this:
1st) I still think that one (and mine) interpretation for the movie is that all the narrative focus (including the choices of events to portrait) is based on a “fictional” documentary with Capitain Nascimento (based on the reports by the former BOPE soldier). Thus, those views about NGOs and middle class are the police’s, and the director is just exposing it.
2nd) even if it was the Director’s choice of being political and criticizing the middle and upper classes, I think that he has a point. Based on the numbers, it is not an understatement to say that the vices of the young upper class finance the drug dealers.
| Submitted by: | Ed Hellig edhellig@gmail.com 2/17/2008 7:19:28 PM PT |
Suck it, Variety! The Elite Squad takes home the Golden Bear, dethroning the favorite There Will Be Blood.
I can't WAIT until Tropa de Elite is shown here in the States.
Capitão Nascimento neles!
| Submitted by: | Amélia Nunes da Mota amelianunes1@hotmail.com 2/17/2008 1:57:47 PM PT |
It is a lot of ingenuousness and arrogance and even sign of little intelligence and education to speak without cause knowledge.
Would the habit be of criticizing, negatively, everything what comes from Brazil? It is lamentable!...
| Submitted by: | Epaminondas Torquato torquatoepaminondas@yahoo.com 2/17/2008 4:31:29 AM PT |
-- This post was removed because it violates the terms and agreements of Variety.com. --
| Submitted by: | Pedro Netto pngq@hotmail.com 2/17/2008 4:00:03 AM PT |
what about Elit Squad making it to the Golden Bear? any mistakes in your evaluation? perhaps you did not get the essence of this pic, because fo that you must have studied a bit more about the real situation of slums in Brazil and also, the relevant discussion the picture brought about in the Rio´s society.
| Submitted by: | M. Shirokawa mshirokawa@gmail.com 2/17/2008 1:32:46 AM PT |
Luiz Zenda, I'm sure the reviewer would probably say -- wow, the Berlin jurors are a bunch of idiots. And you know what? He'd be right.
| Submitted by: | Bel Lyra 2/16/2008 6:08:53 PM PT |
I am Brazilian and I agree with this review. Should I be American in order to be able to agree with it??? It´s a really horrible film. Long violent scenes. Film´s point of view is that of a policeman presented as a hero. Audiences in Brazil applaude scenes where criminals from favelas are tortured and killed. Disgusting.
| Submitted by: | Paulo Brandão 2/16/2008 4:44:32 PM PT |
Sorry Mr. JAY WEISSBERG but Elite Squad won Berlin Festival. But don´t be so disapointed, because it is a good and realistic film. I think this will be an opportunit for you to study more about the brazilian problems and about the non oficial war we have in Rio de Janeiro.
| Submitted by: | Luiz Zenda 2/16/2008 11:39:19 AM PT |
AND NOW MISTER JAY WEISSBERG? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY???
| Submitted by: | Paulo Lorenz 2/16/2008 4:51:55 AM PT |
Such a critic should only come from one that does not live in and know the city of Rio de Janeiro and its hopeless situation against drug dealers. The film shows in the exact manner the good and the bad; that not only bad people live in the "scums", and also not only good people are in the NGOs.
| Submitted by: | Pedro Eidt 2/13/2008 1:07:36 PM PT |
You are clearly just another alienated leftist. Before the movie was first shown in the movies, it was constantly criticized by brazilian's leftists, Human Rights (hahaha) ONG groups, etc.
In Brazil those ONGs defend CRIMINALS, MURDERERS, etc. and celebrate when a cop, that is doing his duty, is killed.
You are just another ignorant leftist person that i feel sorry for.
GO LIVE REAL LIFE
| Submitted by: | Marcelo de Freitas 2/13/2008 10:47:05 AM PT |
I don't really care much about this movie but many comments by Brazilian readers caught my eye. They claim that (what the movie shows) "is what Brazilians see everyday" and that "this is what life in Brazil is like". Wait a minute: Rio de Janeiro does not stand for the whole country. It's one city only, albeit iconic. I, for one, like most Brazilians live in a small town in the state of São Paulo and altough small towns in Brazil cannot compare to small town US they're light years away from what goes on in Rio. So, if Rio is all screwed up any assumption that the whole country has followed suit is preposterous. I would recommend foreign viewers of The Elite Squad to remember that.
| Submitted by: | Lucas André Albrecht lucasalbrecht@gmail.com 2/13/2008 8:46:27 AM PT |
You should try to watch the movie with subtitles.
And then revivew it.
6/8/2008 12:16:40 AM PT
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