Watch the Skies: Tropa de Elite 2
Watch the skies because Tropa de Elite 2 is coming! This is the sequel to José Padilha’s Elite Squad, one of the highest grossing and most controversial Brazilian films to date. Tropa 2 picks up on the story in the present. Anti-hero Capitão Nascimento has left the BOPE and is now working for the government in the state public security secretariat, where he becomes involved in investigating the armed groups called milícias (militias) that have been growing in power of the west of Rio since 2005. Hopefully the film will reveal some of the high level corruption that sustains violence in Rio. Militias control whole neighbourhoods and put rest to the misconception that violence in the city is purely the result of favela based gangs. A new character in the film, a state deputy and human rights activist, is based on real-life head of the Rio state human rights commission, Marcelo Freixo, and his work in unmasking some of the big political players behind militias and organised crime including the city’s former police chief. Marcelo is the target of death threats and only travels around Rio with police protection and a bullet proof car. Although he can’t even enter most of the west of the city, he is standing for election again in October. Let’s hope he gets elected again. Tropa 2 will be released in Brazil on 8th October.