The story is narrated by Captain Roberto Nascimento, a man exhausted by the relentless violence of his job. As the Pope prepares to visit Rio, Nascimento is tasked with "clearing" a dangerous slum (favela) near the Bishop's residence. His personal life is crumbling; his wife is pregnant, and he suffers from severe panic attacks. His primary goal is to find a worthy successor—someone with the integrity and ruthlessness required to lead BOPE—so he can finally quit.
The plot of functions like a vise tightening. We follow two idealistic (and naive) police officers, Neto and Matias. They join the force wanting to change the world but quickly realize the regular police (the "PMMetro") are just as corrupt as the criminals. The regulars steal, take bribes, and murder with impunity. tropa elite 1
In 2018, during Brazil’s polarizing elections, then-candidate Jair Bolsonaro (a former army captain) used the iconography of BOPE to campaign. Wagner Moura, a leftist activist, famously broke down in tears, lamenting that his character had been co-opted by authoritarianism. The story is narrated by Captain Roberto Nascimento,
"Here, the admission exam is a constant interrogation. We want a man who thinks with his weapon." His primary goal is to find a worthy