In 1997, before the visit of the pope to Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento from BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) is assigned to eliminate the risks of the drug dealers in a dangerous slum nearby where the pope intends to be lodged.
Direction
Doc-style chaos makes favelas feel inescapable.
Acting
Wagner Moura's exhaustion is genuinely haunting.
Editing
Relentless pacing never lets you breathe.
Director
José Padilha
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Real BOPE officers consulted on tactics, then tried to ban the film for showing too much truth.
Released during Rio's public security crisis, it sparked national debate about police violence—conservatives loved it, leftists hated it, everyone's uncomfortable.
BR
