5 ms·

Recommended movie: Elite Squad and especially the sequel Elite Squad: Enemy Within. It's about BOPE, the special operations unit of Rio de Janeiro police. The

Recommended movie: Elite Squad and especially the sequel Elite Squad: Enemy Within. It's about BOPE, the special operations unit of Rio de Janeiro police. The first is about the military anti-gang exploits, the second is a good hard look at what corruption looks like. The drugs aren't going away if you break up a cartel, neither is the money.

unixhero 8y ago
They are really tough movies to watch, and also pack a grisly and realistic storyline. I dont know if I enjoyed them or not. One thing is for certain, I can't unsee them.
gt565k 8y ago
I'd certainly add City of God and City of Men to that list. Along with Elite Squad, these movies are simply amazing. Wagner Moura. the main character in Elite Squad, also stars as Pablo Escobar in Netflix's original series Narcos. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609944/?ref_=tt_cl_t1 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609944/?ref_=tt_cl_t1
- duxup 8y ago
  For some reason City of God to me was just some stylizing ... on top of some shocking violence that happened to involve a lot of kids. I really missed whatever was supposed to be great about that film...
  - cambalache 8y ago
    It is poverty porn for middle class people. I cannot talk about the rest of the world, but one of the main reasons a large portion of Latin-American movies suck it is because of the huge disconnect between the middle-upper class people who do them and the more 'salt of the earth" common folk who are portrayed on them.
    - duxup 8y ago
      Sometimes I wonder if that is the case. I felt City of God occasionally seemed to have some sympathy for the subjects... but other times treated them like characters and video game NPCs...
- unixhero 8y ago
  OK, we're going down that eoute3. Rhen I recommeend "Bus 174" which takes a look at the story of a bus hijackers life and how he found himself in that desperate situation. I'd say this one is more throwing nd depressing than Tropa Do Elite1/2. I got more understanding of those kids fate before I visited Rio for a month. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bus_174/ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bus_174/
somethingsimple 8y ago
I don't know if it's been translated to English, but the book on which those movies are based is a great read as well.
morsch 8y ago
Those movies certainly seem to fit right in with Brazil's current neo-authoritarian political climate. Not that it's limited to Brazil.
xrd 8y ago
Underscoring their veracity: most of my Brazilian friends won't watch them because they are too realistic. They are incredible films, and tough to watch. I wrote a little extra about the amazing story behind the film here: http://webiphany.com/2010/12/14/is-brazil-finally-ready-to-fulfill-on-its-destiny-as-the-country-of-the-future.html http://webiphany.com/2010/12/14/is-brazil-finally-ready-to-f... tl;dr: the movie was leaked to the internet before widespread theatrical release to prevent police censorship and still became a financial success. It's a moment in Brazilian internet history that is important to know about.

unixhero 8y ago

They are really tough movies to watch, and also pack a grisly and realistic storyline. I dont know if I enjoyed them or not. One thing is for certain, I can't unsee them.

gt565k 8y ago

I'd certainly add City of God and City of Men to that list. Along with Elite Squad, these movies are simply amazing. Wagner Moura. the main character in Elite Squad, also stars as Pablo Escobar in Netflix's original series Narcos. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609944/?ref_=tt_cl_t1 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609944/?ref_=tt_cl_t1

duxup 8y ago
For some reason City of God to me was just some stylizing ... on top of some shocking violence that happened to involve a lot of kids. I really missed whatever was supposed to be great about that film...
- cambalache 8y ago
  It is poverty porn for middle class people. I cannot talk about the rest of the world, but one of the main reasons a large portion of Latin-American movies suck it is because of the huge disconnect between the middle-upper class people who do them and the more 'salt of the earth" common folk who are portrayed on them.
  - duxup 8y ago
    Sometimes I wonder if that is the case. I felt City of God occasionally seemed to have some sympathy for the subjects... but other times treated them like characters and video game NPCs...
unixhero 8y ago
OK, we're going down that eoute3. Rhen I recommeend "Bus 174" which takes a look at the story of a bus hijackers life and how he found himself in that desperate situation. I'd say this one is more throwing nd depressing than Tropa Do Elite1/2. I got more understanding of those kids fate before I visited Rio for a month. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bus_174/ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bus_174/

somethingsimple 8y ago

I don't know if it's been translated to English, but the book on which those movies are based is a great read as well.

morsch 8y ago

Those movies certainly seem to fit right in with Brazil's current neo-authoritarian political climate. Not that it's limited to Brazil.

xrd 8y ago

Underscoring their veracity: most of my Brazilian friends won't watch them because they are too realistic. They are incredible films, and tough to watch. I wrote a little extra about the amazing story behind the film here: http://webiphany.com/2010/12/14/is-brazil-finally-ready-to-fulfill-on-its-destiny-as-the-country-of-the-future.html http://webiphany.com/2010/12/14/is-brazil-finally-ready-to-f... tl;dr: the movie was leaked to the internet before widespread theatrical release to prevent police censorship and still became a financial success. It's a moment in Brazilian internet history that is important to know about.