No packages today, so it’s time to present the latest batch of 4xblu online store additions. Among the titles now up for grabs online are Peter Greenaway’s “Drowning By Numbers,” Dario Argento’s “Four Flies on Grey Velvet,” and José Padilha’s “Elite Squad.”
José Padilha first came to prominance as the director of “Bus 174,” a documentary about the child survivor of a brutal massacre by Brazilian police who, years later, took a bus hostage for four hours while an estimated 25% of the country’s population watched his standoff with the cops live on television. The film was named one of 2003’s best by A.O. Scott of The New York Times but was criticized by some for what was perceived as a less than flattering depiction of the Brazilian police.
When Padilha followed up “Bus 174” with his first narrative film, “Elite Squad,” he returned with another picture about the complicated relationship between Brazil’s cops and crooks, an exhilerating action film that was a critical and commercial smash. Set in the days leading up to a papal visit to Rio, the film follows a small tactical unit who’s been tasked with clearing the slums of drug dealers prior to the arrival of the Pope. While the cops demonstrate tremendous skill and courage, they aren’t exactly the most ethical bunch, which raises the kind of moral ambiguity that was not only present in “Bus 174,” but would also rear its problematic head in the director’s first Hollywood film, 2014’s “RoboCop” reboot.