Elite Squad
Elite Squad (Portuguese: Tropa de Elite, pronounced [ˈtɾɔpɐ dʒi eˈlitʃi] lit. '"Elite Corps"') is a 2007 Brazilian crime film based on the novel Elite da Tropa by Luiz Eduardo Soares, André Batista, and Rodrigo Pimentel. Directed by José Padilha (from a screenplay by Padilha, Bráulio Mantovani, and Pimentel), the film stars Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira, and André Ramiro, and tells the story of Roberto Nascimento (Moura), a captain with the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, or BOPE ("special police operations battalion"), who leads a police crackdown on a series of Rio de Janeiro favelas in-preparation for the Brazilian state visit of Pope John Paul II.
| Elite Squad | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | José Padilha |
| Written by | Bráulio Mantovani José Padilha Rodrigo Pimentel |
| Based on | Elite da Tropa by André Batista Luiz Eduardo Soares Rodrigo Pimentel |
| Produced by | José Padilha Marcos Prado |
| Starring | Wagner Moura Caio Junqueira André Ramiro |
| Cinematography | Lula Carvalho |
| Edited by | Daniel Rezende |
| Music by | Pedro Bromfman |
Production company | Zazen Produções |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates | August 17, 2007 (Rio de Janeiro) (premiere)
|
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | Brazil |
| Language | Portuguese |
| Budget | R$ 11 million (US$ 8 million) |
| Box office | R$ 28 million (US$ 14.1 million) |
Inspired by the Military Police of Rio, and their related arms, Elite Squad is the second feature and first film by Padilha, after the documentary Bus 174 (2002).
Elite Squad was an overwhelming critical and commercial success, and became a cultural phenomenon in Brazil. The film won the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Its sequel, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, was released in Brazil on October 8, 2010, and holds industry records in the country for high ticket sales and gross revenue.