Elite Squad: The Enemy Within follows the corrupt Brazil police force and politicians as they try to abolish drug dealers in the slums of Rio and deal with the addicts directly, cutting out the middle man and maximizing their profit. However there are still some politicians and police officers aren’t corrupt. This film shows a fierce, violent battle between the sides of good, evil and all those in between.
THE ACTORS
Every single actor in this film is perfect in their role, there are no flaws, no mis-casts and it just makes the film thoroughly convincing and extremely well made.
The main character, played by Wagner Moura however is definitely the best of the best, i am genuinely surprised he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for his superb performance. With a film filled with perfect casting and acting, to stand out in a film is a remarkable feat, yet Moura manages to outshine everyone, seemingly effortlessly.
THE DIRECTOR
I have only ever seen a more beautifully bleak depiction of Brazil in City of God, and even then, there isn’t much in it. Which is a very high compliment indeed.
The film is shot beautifully, with great panning views of Brazil, superb fast cuts for the action. This really is a superbly made film.
CONCLUSION
This film is perfectly acted, has a great story and has some impressive action scenes. However it can become a bit confusing trying to keep track of who works for who, but this could possibly be because i was busy following the subtitles, but it still doesn’t help the film.
This is a Brazilian gangster film which comes close to rivaling City of God, it comes close but it simply isn’t as good. If you love City of God, you should definitely check this film out.
MY SCORE
7/10
