Tropa de Elite (2007)

Director:

José Padilha

Writers:

André Batista (book)
John Kaylin (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (Brazil)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

On the streets of Rio only the elite survive.

Plot:

1997, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his occupation while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope comes to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Slum | Favela | Rio De Janeiro Brazil | Brazil

Awards:

28 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Wagner Moura	...	Capitão Nascimento
Caio Junqueira	...	Neto
André Ramiro	...	André Matias
Maria Ribeiro	...	Rosane
Fernanda Machado	...	Maria
Fernanda de Freitas	...	Roberta
Paulo Vilela	...	Edu
Milhem Cortaz	...	Capitão Fábio
Marcelo Valle	...	Capitão Oliveira
Fábio Lago	...	Claudio Mendes de Lima 'Baiano'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bruno Delia	...	Capitão Azevedo
Marcelo Escorel	...	Coronel Otávio
André Felipe	...	Rodrigues (as André Mauro)
Thelmo Fernandes	...	Sargento Alves
Emerson Gomes	...	Xaveco
Paulo Hamilton	...	Soldado Paulo
Bernardo Jablonski	...	Law teacher
Daniel Lentini	...	Rapaz 3 da Festa
Thiago Mendonça
Alexandre Mofatti	...	Sub-Comandante Carvalho
Erick Oliveira	...	Marcinho
Otto Jr.	...	Major Gouveia
André Santinho	...	Tenente Renan
Patrick Santos	...	Tinho
Ana Paula Secco	...	Mãe de Romerito (as Ana Paula Secco)
Ricardo Sodré	...	Cabo Bocão
Thogun	...	Cabo Tião
Nathalia Dill	...	Estudante (uncredited)

Directed by
José Padilha

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
André Batista		book "Elite da Tropa"
John Kaylin		adaptation
Bráulio Mantovani		writer
José Padilha		writer
Rodrigo Pimentel		book "Elite da Tropa"
Rodrigo Pimentel		writer
Luiz Eduardo Soares		book "Elite da Tropa"

Produced by
Bia Castro	....	executive producer
Eduardo Costantini	....	executive producer
James D'Arcy	....	co-producer
José Padilha	....	producer
Marcos Prado	....	producer
Eliana Soárez	....	co-producer
Genna Terranova	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Pedro Bromfman

Cinematography by
Lula Carvalho

Film Editing by
Daniel Rezende

Production Design by
Tulé Peak

Set Decoration by
Odair Zani

Costume Design by
Claudia Kopke

Makeup Department
Martin Macias	....	makeup artist
Ignácio Posadas	....	key hair stylist
Sandro Valerio	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Robert Bella	....	post-production supervisor
Maria Clara Ferreira	....	production manager
Lili Nogueira	....	production manager
Edu Pacheco	....	production manager
Fernando Zagallo	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Laura Flaksman	....	third assistant director
Laura C. Grant	....	second assistant director: second unit
Daniel Lentini	....	third assistant director
Clara Linhart	....	second assistant director
Malu Miranda	....	first assistant director: action unit
Phil Neilson	....	second unit director
Pedro Peregrino	....	third assistant director
Rafael Salgado	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Cristina Cirne	....	art department coordinator
Dejair dos Santos	....	property master
Dany Espinelli	....	assistant art director
Thiago Marques	....	set designer

Sound Department
João Caserta	....	assistant dialogue editor
Marcel Costa	....	boom operator
Roger Hands	....	foley artist
Juliana Lago	....	sound effects editor
Alessandro Laroca	....	supervising sound editor
Eduardo Virmond Lima	....	sound effects editor
Evandro Lima	....	boom operator
Leandro Lima	....	sound
Fernando Lobo	....	sound effects editor
Antonio Mac-Dowell	....	foley mixer
Débora Opolski	....	dialogue editor
Daniel Soares Pedroso	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Lucas Cesario Pereira	....	assistant foley editor
Paulo Henrique Servello	....	dolby mastering
Armando Torres Jr.	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Marc Banich	....	special effects technician
Mike Edmonson	....	special effects technician
Sergio Farjalla Jr.	....	special effects
Sergio Farjalla Jr.	....	weapons coordinator
Bruno Van Zeebroeck	....	special effects coordinator

Stunts
Fillipe Dias	....	co-stunt coordinator
Paulo Pacheco	....	stunts
Keith Woulard	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Pablo Baião	....	camera operator
Pablo Baião	....	first assistant camera
Lula Carvalho	....	camera operator
Lula Cerri	....	second assistant camera
Cristiano Conceição	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Luiz Gonzaga de Almeida	....	key grip (as 'Mineiro')
Wilson de Lima Martins	....	grip
Alice Flaksman	....	video assist operator: second unit
Gabriel Hoffmann	....	video assist operator
Pablo Hoffmann	....	first assistant camera
Ulisses Malta Jr.	....	gaffer
Renato Mineirinho	....	grip
David Prichard	....	still photographer
Pedro Von Krüger	....	camera loader

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alexandre Brolho	....	assistant costume designer
Fernando Luis de Jesus	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
Doug Delaney	....	digital intermediate colorist
Matthew W. Johnson	....	digital intermediate editor
Kelley Whitis	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
Pedro Bromfman	....	music producer

Other crew
Mariana Bentes	....	executive production assistant
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services
Fernanda Chasim	....	production assistant
Rogério Thadeu de Castro	....	set assistant (as Bulldog)
Nilson Dias	....	set assistant (as 'Nilsinho')
Pedro Dumans	....	set assistant
Laura C. Grant	....	assistant to director
Gabi Haber	....	production assistant
Rodrigo Lamounier	....	location manager
Malu Miranda	....	production supervisor: action unit
Perigoso	....	set manager
Olivia Rabacov	....	script supervisor
Maria Fatima Toledo	....	acting coach

Production Companies

• Zazen Produções
• Posto 9
• Feijão Filmes
• Weinstein Company, The
• Estúdios Mega (co-production)
• Quanta Centro de Produções Cinematográficas (co-production)
• Universal Pictures do Brasil (co-production)
• Costa Films (co-production)

Distributors

• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Benelux Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Euforia Film (2008) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Odeon (2007) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (2009) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures do Brasil (2007) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• AZ Gems (2008) (India) (all media)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• IFC Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Prorom Media-Trade (2007) (Romania) (all media)
• Reel DVD (2009) (Australia) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix

Also Known As:

Elite Squad (UK) (USA)
The Elite Squad (Europe: English title) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and drug content.

Runtime:

115 min | Germany:118 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Brazil | Netherlands | USA

Language:

Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | USA:R | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18 | Ireland:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | France:-16

Filming Locations:

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Company:

Zazen Produções

Trivia:

The university where part of the film was shot is PUC, located at the pleasant neighborhood of Gávea, at Rio de Janeiro, a very traditional elite school and considered the best private university in Brazil, and one of the best educational institutions in South America. This is where André Batista, one of the film's screenwriters, attended law school. He was a member of BOPE and was the inspiration for the character of André Matias, a honest man who finds himself torn between his life as a BOPE member and his life long dreams of being a lawyer.

Quotes:

Police oficer: [a popular saying about BOPE] "Dagger to the skull and nothing to the wallet."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Levels (2008)

Soundtrack:

Tropa de Elite

Terrific Thriller

If you loved City of God and Carandiru, you have to see this movie. Maybe it's the most complex Brazilian movie about violence. It combines a discussion about the problem of violence in Rio de Janeiro, the police corruption and the society responsibility and, what is more important, Elite Squad is a terrific thriller: nervous, intriguing and entertaining. Cinema at it's best.

Bráulio Mantovani, from City of God, wrote the screenplay and Daniel Rezend, also from CDD, is the editor (Both nominated to the Oscar).

Above, one article about the film:

"WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!)

characters lie dead in the street within minutes of the opening of Brazilian director Jose Padilha's new film which he hopes will shed new light on gang violence and police corruption in his country.

"Elite Squad," which Padilha wrote with former Rio police officer Rodrigo Pimentel, follows two young Rio de Janeiro police officers as their fantasy of implementing law and order disintegrates into bloodshed and corruption.

It details night raids through the makeshift homes of the city's hillside slums known as favelas, as well as the stark class differences that feed an appetite for riches among many of its poor residents.

Padilha, 39, said he had originally hoped to use the information he received from Pimentel for a documentary but quickly realized that it would not be feasible.

"How would I do this, go to corrupt cops with cameras?" he asks. "If I tried to make this film as a documentary, it would probably get me killed." Padilha, whose highly-acclaimed debut film "Bus 174" about a real-life bus hijacking in Rio was released in 2002, has strived to make the film as realistic as possible, shooting much of the film on the favelas' narrow streets.

"Elite Squad" is based on Pimentel's account of his tenure as captain of Rio's elite police force which has come under attack by Amnesty International for brutality.

Like "Bus 174," it exposes the darker elements of Brazil that contrast vividly with the nation's colorful, extravagant Carnival celebrations."