Original Title: Tropa de Elite 2 - O Inimigo Agora É Outro
Directed by: Jose Padilha
Sequels with numbers usually sucks and falls to the trap that everything must be bigger and more explosives and sometimes sequels without number sucks too and falls to the same trap.
Only few stand out as equal or better than the first installment, just like The Godfather Part II that can stand tall with The Godfather as for this, I was a bit skeptic at the beginning.
I mean how can the same person who made the first Tropa de Elite could top their own creation? But after seeing this I am stunned, this sequel, although titled with a number (something I hate) is like what The Dark Knight do to Batman Begins, a better sequel with better substance.
If you forgot what happened at the first film, you can click the link above which will direct you to my own review. The first film was stunning, the degree of violence and nihilism is prevalent, not to mention realistic visualization and story that, in my opinion, can be understood pretty well by Indonesian people.
I mean corrupt cops and officials? We have plenty of them here. Okay, enough of that let's get back to the film.
Ten years after the event of the first film, Captain Nasciemento (Wagner Maura) is becoming a scapegoat as his special police unit kill a drug dealer in a prison. It is all because a human right activist who happen to be a leftist and a liberal, Fraga (Irandhir Santos) make a noise about it in the media. Fraga himself married to Nascimento's ex wife, making things more complicated.
To save face, the government didn't fire Nasciemento but made him a security intelligence, a behind the desk position. While his sidekick, Captain André Matias (André Ramiro) is demoted to another police division, a corrupt division.
At the beginning Nascimento think he can change the system by eliminating drug dealers thus police corruption. But he unleash another monster, having lack of income from drug dealers, the corrupt cops turns to control the favelas (Rio De Janeiro's slum) and more bodies fall.
From there rise Russo (Sandro Rocha), a corrupt cop who become too corrupt and connected with a politician, Fortunado (André Mattos). This is an election year and every vote from the slum is important.
Things went awry as Nascimento's ideals, Fraga's activity and politics vs crime become one awful mix. Can he change the system? Who must die for his war and does it all worth it?
On paper and on trailer it looks like just another crime drama, but this one is a bit complicated and smart. It reminds me with Infernal Affairs but with better action and shootout.
As for the actions scenes, there weren't that plenty but effective and engaging. Michael Mann, be careful, Padilha can top your Heat shootout scenes.
Some aspect are specific to Brazilian people, but I can find the universal message that change takes time, what to do in a lawless situation and sometimes you wonder why everything is so bleak just for the sake of greed.
This is a good film not to be missed it thrills you and thought provoking. A better sequel to watch.
Directed by: Jose Padilha
Sequels with numbers usually sucks and falls to the trap that everything must be bigger and more explosives and sometimes sequels without number sucks too and falls to the same trap.
Only few stand out as equal or better than the first installment, just like The Godfather Part II that can stand tall with The Godfather as for this, I was a bit skeptic at the beginning.
I mean how can the same person who made the first Tropa de Elite could top their own creation? But after seeing this I am stunned, this sequel, although titled with a number (something I hate) is like what The Dark Knight do to Batman Begins, a better sequel with better substance.
If you forgot what happened at the first film, you can click the link above which will direct you to my own review. The first film was stunning, the degree of violence and nihilism is prevalent, not to mention realistic visualization and story that, in my opinion, can be understood pretty well by Indonesian people.
I mean corrupt cops and officials? We have plenty of them here. Okay, enough of that let's get back to the film.
Ten years after the event of the first film, Captain Nasciemento (Wagner Maura) is becoming a scapegoat as his special police unit kill a drug dealer in a prison. It is all because a human right activist who happen to be a leftist and a liberal, Fraga (Irandhir Santos) make a noise about it in the media. Fraga himself married to Nascimento's ex wife, making things more complicated.
To save face, the government didn't fire Nasciemento but made him a security intelligence, a behind the desk position. While his sidekick, Captain André Matias (André Ramiro) is demoted to another police division, a corrupt division.
At the beginning Nascimento think he can change the system by eliminating drug dealers thus police corruption. But he unleash another monster, having lack of income from drug dealers, the corrupt cops turns to control the favelas (Rio De Janeiro's slum) and more bodies fall.
From there rise Russo (Sandro Rocha), a corrupt cop who become too corrupt and connected with a politician, Fortunado (André Mattos). This is an election year and every vote from the slum is important.
Things went awry as Nascimento's ideals, Fraga's activity and politics vs crime become one awful mix. Can he change the system? Who must die for his war and does it all worth it?
On paper and on trailer it looks like just another crime drama, but this one is a bit complicated and smart. It reminds me with Infernal Affairs but with better action and shootout.
As for the actions scenes, there weren't that plenty but effective and engaging. Michael Mann, be careful, Padilha can top your Heat shootout scenes.
Some aspect are specific to Brazilian people, but I can find the universal message that change takes time, what to do in a lawless situation and sometimes you wonder why everything is so bleak just for the sake of greed.
This is a good film not to be missed it thrills you and thought provoking. A better sequel to watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment