violence and guns play starring roles in both movies but the story line and script are also very well crafted - nascimento struggles with in house corruption and drug lords as the police attempt to clean up rio de janeiro's favelas - mystery surrounds the storyline and the audience is kept in the dark with regards to who is committing the real crimes: the police or the drug barons.

tropa de elite 2, set 13 years after the first film, shows nascimento as a lieutenant colonel after being promoted and as the plot unfolds he must not only fight corruption in the police force but his own demons as his family are targeted by criminals - all of which makes for an exciting watch. 

this movie isn't just about violence, there is an impressive narrative that has been recognized by many critics and as a result was selected as the brazilian entry for best foreign language film at the oscars.