Brazilian actress Maria Ribeiro attends a press conference for the movie 'Elite Squad 2 - The Enemy Within' (Trope de Elite 2 - O Inimigo Agore e Outro) in Berlin on February 11, 2011. The 61st edition of the festival, running from February 10 to 20, will showcase 22 films in its main programme including 16 in the running for the festival's coveted Golden and Silver Bear prizes. – AFP Photo

SAO PAULO: “Elite Squad 2,” a movie about a cop's fight against criminals in Rio's slums and corrupt politicians, is Brazil's entry for the 2012 Oscars race, the country's culture ministry said Tuesday.

The film, by director Jose Padilha, has busted Brazil's box-office records with more than 11 million tickets sold during its two-month theatrical release, adding to the success of the original “Elite Squad” movie, which was heavily pirated before its release.

The crowd-pleasing high-adrenaline action scenes of the sequel are punctuated with sinister exposes of corruption all too familiar to Brazilian citizens.

The $7-million production, which competes against 15 other films for the Foreign Language Oscar, features a cynical and burnt-out police colonel, played by Wagner Moura.

Whereas the first movie pitted Moura's Colonel Nascimento against vicious drug traffickers, the new one sees him take on militias in Rio's slums that are formed by former police officers, often with political patronage.