After a bloody invasion of the BOPE in the High-Security Penitentiary Bangu 1 in Rio de Janeiro to control a rebellion of interns, the Lieutenant-Colonel Roberto Nascimento and the second in command Captain André Matias are accused by the Human Right Aids member Diogo Fraga of execution of prisoners. Matias is transferred to the corrupted Military Police and Nascimento is exonerated from the BOPE by the Governor.
Wagner Moura, Irandhir Santos, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz, Maria Ribeiro, Seu Jorge, Sandro Rocha, Tainá Müller, André Mattos, Pedro Van-Held, Adriano Garib, Julio Adrião, Rodrigo Candelot, Emílio Orciollo Netto, Charles Fricks, Fabrício Boliveira, Marcello Gonçalves, Pierre Santos, William Vita, André Santinho
Curator Review
Verdict
A hard-charging Brazilian crime drama that widens the scope of the first film into a sharper, more political look at corruption, policing, media, and power. It’s intense, propulsive, and angry, but also more ambitious and layered than a standard action sequel.
Best for
Viewers who like crime thrillers with political bite
Fans of procedural corruption stories and institutional drama
People who want gritty action grounded in real-world social issues
Audiences interested in modern Brazilian cinema
Skip if
You want light entertainment or escapist action
You dislike violence, cynicism, or moral ambiguity
You prefer tightly contained stories over sprawling political narratives
You’re not in the mood for a film that is openly confrontational about state corruption
Overview
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within takes the muscular energy of the original and turns it outward, from the battlefield of Rio’s favelas to the machinery of politics, policing, and media. The result is less a sequel than an escalation: bigger in scope, more explicitly political, and even more convinced that corruption is systemic rather than incidental.
Worth noting
José Padilha stages the film with relentless momentum, using action not as spectacle alone but as a way to expose how violence circulates through institutions. Wagner Moura gives the movie its spine, and the supporting cast helps sell the sense of a city where every layer of authority is compromised. It’s a film that wants to provoke as much as entertain.
Bottom line
What makes it endure is how current it still feels. Even when it leans into broad strokes, the anger is disciplined by craft: sharp editing, urgent pacing, and a clear eye for the ugly compromises that sustain power. It’s tough, topical, and uncomfortably persuasive.
Top Letterboxd reviews
alice chaves (4.5★) · 1771 likes
essa júlia deve ser muito gostosa para você assumir cem gramas de maconha na minha frente
mareana (5★) · 1238 likes
fala pra ele não falar comigo diz a ele pra ele não falar comigo EU DISSE PRA VOCÊ CALAR A BOCA E NÃO FALAR COMIGO CALA A SUA BOCA E NÃO FALA COMIGO AGAJSHP [inaudível]
Vinícius Brandão (4★) · 988 likes
Não da pra conceber o quanto me assusta a realidade e atualidade desse filme. Ele não acabou, estamos a 8 anos assistindo ininterruptamente essa barbárie.
É Capitão nascimento... todos esses anos se passaram e o sistema não mudou, pelo contrário, se consolida cada vez mais, Marielle só foi a ultima vitima desse jogo imundo que assola o Rio e todo o Brasil. Desesperança é tudo que eu consigo sentir nesse momento, uma tristeza inenarrável.