Tropa de Elite

I finally saw Tropa de Elite on Sunday, and it was a very good movie. That said, it wasn't ambiguous, as Mr. Trend implies but quite explicit in making the BOPE the knights in shining armor. The movie's message is unmistakable: All police are corrupt except the BOPE, who are the only ones actually doing anything about the problems if crime in Brazilian society.

At no point do we ever see what the police look like to favelados who aren't in gangs. In fact, the only valid criticism of the police is related to the corruption of the normal Polícia Militar -- they don't take the "war" against drug dealers seriously enough, and the BOPE might have to kill them. The middle-class law students complain about the unfriendliness of the police at a traffic stop, tarring all criticism of police brutality as the effete rebellion of rich kids who romanticize the poor.

It's difficult to argue with the film itself -- it is probably exactly how the BOPE members see the world. Within its limited vision it is probably perfectly accurate, but what a limited vision it offers. The buzz surrounding the movie was huge, but in the end it reminded me of a cop movie from the 80s, like Cobra. Kill the bad guys and go home, nothing else to it. It's too bad, though, because unlike Cobra it could have been so much more.