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Indian viewers of the superb Brazilian film Elite Squad – The Enemy Within (2010) can take great comfort that there are other countries in the world as screwed up, as corrupt and as rotten as Mera Bharat Mahaan.

Elite Squad – The Enemy Within (Tropa de Elite 2 – O Inimigo Agora é Outro), a Portuguese language film, is a follow-up to The Elite Squad (2007).

But even if you haven’t seen the older film you can still enjoy the sequel without feeling adrift.

The movie, which debuted in late 2010 in Brazil and a year later in the U.S., has been a raging success at the box office.

In Brazil, the box office returns of Elite Squad – The Enemy Within turned it into the country’s highest grossing film ever.

The movie was Brazil’s pick for the upcoming Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category but failed to make the final list.

A Director’s Film

Set in Rio de Janeiro (a sprawling city with a population about that of the South Indian city of Hyderabad), Elite Squad – The Enemy Within is what the wise souls at SI hail as a director’s film.

In other words, the actors recede into the background because of the overall powerful impact of the movie.

A gripping story, fine screenplay, nice photography and good acting are neatly melded together in the capable hands of a talented director.

The director in this instance is José Padilha, who also co-wrote the story and screenplay. Padilha, a maker of feature films and documentaries, also directed Elite Squad (2007). Continue reading »