History Film / TheEliteSquad

* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler: When Rafael is shot, Captain Nascimento gives a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating to a ''politician'' involved with the militias.]]

!!The film series provides examples of:

* AlasPoorYorick: A very {{squick}}y example when one of Rocha's henchmen are speaking to the burned skulls of his victims he just raped and killed while he is removing their teeth so they wouldn't get recognized.

* DeadStarWalking: [[spoiler:Seu Jorge]] in the sequel.

''The Elite Squad'' (originally named ''Tropa de Elite'') is a Golden Bear-winning 2007 Brazilian movie depicting the war between Rio de Janeiro drug dealers and the police - specifically, the BOPE (''Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais'': "Special Police Operations Battalion"), the most feared police force in the State. In the midst of this war, Captain Roberto Nascimento (Wagner Moura) prepares for retirement as his first child is born. To replace him, there are two regular police officers - hotheaded Neto (Caio Junqueira) and the more intellectual Matias (André Ramiro). Add to the mixture police corruption, and you've got it.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Given director José Padilha had done before the documentary ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_174 Bus 174]]'', some consider the films an attempt for Padilha to do a trilogy of crime films.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Fraga's undoubtedly a strawman, serving as opposition for Nascimento and BOPE's methods, but considering [[AntiHero how]] [[PoliceBrutality brutal]] [[CowboyCop and reckless]] [[DestructiveSaviour they can get]], and the fact that the one time he's given a chance to try and solve a conflict peacefully, he's succeeding before being interrupted by Matias, its pretty hard to argue against him.
* StrawmanPolitical: Again, Fraga is seemingly set up as a Strawman Liberal in the second movie since he represents all criticisms leveled at BOPE's brutal methods.

The movie was quite a success in Brazil, strangely, even before being officially released, with large amounts of pirated copies of it being sold, which ironically kinda contradicts the spirit of "don't finance crime" of the film. It was basically the greatest meme generator in Brazil in recent history, and its protagonist, Captain Nascimento, is now recognized as a true MemeticBadass.

* ValuesDissonance: Brazilian critics loved it, whereas foreign critics not so much, with some calling it "fascist". This dissonance might be in part to the fact that the movie seems to be mainly trying to 'show' things as they are, but DoNotDoThisCoolThing aspects might have made it seem otherwise.
** InUniverse example from the sequel: The human rights people and some politicians are highly critical of Nascimento and BOPE after a criminal is killed in an operation (to be fair, he was holding a negotiator hostage). When Nascimento goes to see his superiors and such in a restaurant to discuss this matter, every other patron stands up and applauds Nascimento!

** It is pretty natural that perspectives on criminal justice will be rather different in countries where police forces generally have things under control, than in countries like Brazil with homicide rates that most N. Americans (excluding Mexicans), Europeans (including Russians), and Asians only have to see in their nightmares. There is also a much better chance of MisAimedFandom through ItsPersonal considering the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_by_intentional_homicide#2010s_by_rate_per_100.2C000 victimization levels]] in many of the Brazilian cities, compared to the foreign critics' countries.

The movie was quite a success in Brazil, strangely, even before being officially released, with the amount of pirated copies of it being sold, which kinda contradicts the spirit of "don't finance crime" of the film. It has been basically the greatest meme generator in Brazil in recent history and the protagonist, Captain Nascimento, is now recognized as a true MemeticBadass.

It has also stirred some controversy regarding human rights, due to the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique used by the BOPE crew, being the cover of some of the most important magazines in the country.

* AnachronismStew: Given the first film is supposedly set in 1997, when Pope John Paul II visited Rio, a few elements don't fit the year (particularly regarding ProductPlacement, such as the cars and cellphones). For instance, [[EiffelTowerEffect establishing shots of the Sugar Loaf]] show a restaurant that was only opened in 2002, and Matias meets a guy asking votes for a Senate candidate one year too early. Then again, knowing Brazilian politicians, asking for votes one year before the elections is definitely NOT too early.

* PetTheDog: Subverted. At one point, Nascimento decides to try and find the body of a drug dealer whose death he indirectly caused (since the guy was supposed to look out for any BOPE members nearby and was executed when Nascimento and his men found the dealers), so as to give the boy's grieving mother some closure...by torturing another overlooker to know where the corpse is. Even worse, all BOPE members are called to stop the shootout that Neto and Matias caused, so Nascimento and his men execute the overlooker and the dead boy's corpse is never found.

** Earlier, during BOPE training camp, Mattias is falling asleep during a lecture by Nascimento, who's speaking in a soft droning voice. Instead of giving him an asskicking, Nascimento simply puts a grenade in Mattias' hands, tells him to hold it, and pulls the pin out. Matias is instantly awake and wide-eyed.

** Baiano orders the crooks who are with him to [[spoiler: kill Neto]] wait, as there's a kid with them.

* RedOniBlueOni: Neto and Matias.

* WouldntHurtAChild: Baiano certainly wouldn't.

* AnachronismStew: Given the first film is supposedly set in 1997, when Pope John Paul II visited Rio, a few elements don't fit the year (particularly regarding ProductPlacement, such as the cars and cellphones). For instance, [[EiffelTowerEffect establishing shots of the Sugar Loaf]] show a restaurant that was only opened in 2002, and Matias meets a guy asking votes for a Senate candidate one year too early.
** Knowing Brazilian politicians, asking for votes one year before the elections is definitely NOT too early.

* NiceHat: BOPE eschew helmets for a black beret with the BOPE badge.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: BOPE's way of solving things, taken UpToEleven. The summit of it... [[TakeOurWordForIt Let's just say]] [[AssShove it involves]] [[{{Squick}} brooms]].