I know I'm not supposed to link to other dynamic content here on IMDb, but I think it's worth pointing fellow users to order reviews by Prolific Authors, then read Cláudio de Carvalho's review to this movie. It is the only one of all reviews here, and I've read them, which has accurate information in a well-written form. There's little to add to what Cláudio already said, but if you're still not convinced, there are some extra stuff going on in and around this movie to incite your curiosity.
First, the context, time and social appraisal this movie has received on the box-office weekend is even more complicated than we once thought. I'd just like to say I'm not a sucker for ratings or box-office earnings, but the fact that it toppled any other movie in Brazilian theaters, national or not, is obviously noteworthy.
One month or so after the movie premiered, the actual BOPE was critical, alongside Brazil's Army and Rio State civil and military police, not to mention the huge political circus involved therein - on what's been infamously called The Invasion of the Complexo do Alemão, a huge gathering of equally enormous favela "clusters".
It was the start of a new era on the fight against corruption, organized crime and political inaction. Or so we're led to believe. It turns out not only the anti-hero Captain Nascimento is next to irrelevant on the fight against the Powers that Be, but so is pretty much everyone else.
Some people - myself included - have speculated that politicians used the upside-down popularity of the movie to go ahead with the invasion in the Alemão. I don't know where Padilha stands on this, but I think I have a quite good idea on where he stands, as far as idolizing the police, BOPE, Nascimento or violent acts of any sort go. But who would have thought? We're THIS stupid. Fortunately, the Invasion was bloodless. Yes, fortunately and extremely weird.
Anythewho... Add to that another unexpected impact of the movie on police crackdown on illegal DVD sales. While the first one notoriously skyrocketed pirate DVD purchases, which contributed to its fast insertion on public culture - the second one was remarkably unseen, or with good quality, in the streets with the camelôs.
Overall, I'd classify this movie as a masterpiece on its own. I took 2 points out of it for being a sequel, but I'm torn and seriously considering changing to 10/10. "City of God" didn't have a sequel, and it's good just like that. In the other hand, if we didn't have this sequel, we wouldn't have such a powerful and strong movie, one that speaks deep - or should - to our innermost misconceptions about poverty and the mind-numbing War on Drugs.
Unfortunately, the Steven Seagal-esque Brazil took a stand and it wasn't the one I like the most. People in power or not have and will keep misconstruing Padiha's work because we're just like that, we love to choose the moron way.
