Elite Squad (2007) – Filming Locations
Drama / Action / Crime · Directed by José Padilha · Starring Wagner Moura, Fernanda Machado
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.
Where was Elite Squad filmed?
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro – BOPE raids and operations in the drug lord's stronghold. The actual favela where major combat sequences were filmed, showing the real terrain and architecture of Rio's violent slums that the film dramatizes
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro – Police operations and street-level action sequences in the favela. One of Rio's largest favelas, used as a primary filming location to capture authentic urban warfare and the real conditions of the city's poorest communities
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro – Tactical operations and pursuit sequences through narrow favela streets. Used for intimate action sequences showing the claustrophobic nature of Rio's informal settlements and the challenge of military operations in dense urban terrain
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro – Chase sequences and establishing shots of Rio de Janeiro's urban landscape. Various locations throughout Rio's downtown and surrounding areas provide the gritty urban context for the film's narrative of police and drug gang violence