Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
New Video | Release Date: November 11, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumNov 9, 2011
The pace is quick, the violence is rough, and the visual style is documentary as Padilha hammers home his point: Someone is forever in the pocket of someone else as The System constantly adapts to protect itself. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineDiego SemereneNov 5, 2011
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is pure pedagogic bliss. Read full review
80
Time OutSam AdamsNov 8, 2011
Both responding to and rebutting critics who dubbed its predecessor fascist, José Padilha's superior sequel to 2007's "Elite Squad" doubles down on the kill-'em-all rhetoric while placing its trigger-happy heroes in a larger context. Read full review
80
VarietyRobert KoehlerNov 7, 2011
When this "Enemy Within" settles into key action sequences, such as a stunning nighttime ambush or a daytime battle against Fabio, it becomes wildly entertaining. Read full review
80
EmpirePhilip WildingNov 6, 2011
A marked improvement on the first film, it's easy to see why this was such a smash in Brazil. Breathless, brutal and thrilling, it's a gut punch of an action movie. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn LevyDec 8, 2011
It's fast, it's sure, it's violent and it's fun, even as it sometimes pushes the limits of ready coherence or dramatic plausibility. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene RodriguezDec 1, 2011
Propulsive, hyper-violent and ridiculously exciting, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within can be described as "The Wire" transplanted to Rio de Janeiro. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertNov 30, 2011
Here's a Brazilian thriller that's so angry and specifically political, it's hard to believe they got away with making it. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. MusettoNov 11, 2011
A crackling musical score and eye-popping cinematography add to the nonstop ferocity, and Wagner Moura is charismatic as the head of the titular police unit. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubAlison WillmoreNov 9, 2011
Padilha's film has a witheringly low opinion of most people - the gangs are no better than animals, the regular police are gleefully corrupt, the liberal intellectuals are sanctimonious fools, and the politicians are only interested in protecting themselves. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnNov 9, 2011
Padilha channeled national frustrations into zeitgeist entertainment. The follow-up, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, has less success than the first installment in achieving that aim, but still keeps the snazzy combination of spectacle and polemics in check. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesDec 1, 2011
This is jammed with cliches but completely engrossing, in the manner of a movie ardently in love with its own bullshit. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen HoldenNov 10, 2011
The carnage, although explicit and frequent, is not grotesquely overdone. But except for Mr. Moura's Nascimento, the movie doesn't have the same richness of characters. Psychologically he is the whole show; the rest are stereotypes. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovDec 7, 2011
Padilha's film offers no easy answers, but the title is a tip off as to where at least his sympathies lie. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyNov 30, 2011
Almost everyone is scum. The venality spreads from the slums or favelas, up the ranks of local militias, crooked police and pandering politicians. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 17, 2011
The rest is an adrenaline ride, but one more wearying than eye-opening. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNov 10, 2011
The movie's intensity is given crucial depth via Moura's somber and unshowy performance. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMark HolcombNov 8, 2011
Will test the ideological mettle of law-and-order conservatives and lefty peaceniks alike. Read full review
More From This Movie

71 Critic Reviews

8.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL