The Assailant (2009) Plot Summary Explained

Besouro was appointed as Alípio's bodyguard, but he devoted most of his time to capoeira street circles rather than staying close to his mentor. This negligence left Alípio exposed during a police crackdown, and he was killed while Besouro was absent. The tragedy drove Besouro to take up the resistance mantle himself.

• besouro
• alipio
• bodyguard
• police
• capoeira circles

Exu is a spiritual entity from Afro-Brazilian religion who visits Besouro after Alípio's death. He demands worship as part of spiritual obligations tied to Besouro's path. When Besouro tries to resist, the confrontation triggers chaos at a work fair, drawing police attention and forcing Besouro into the river where his spiritual journey continues.

Foreshadowing: The encounter with Exu foreshadows the supernatural elements that will define Besouro's powers later in the film.

• exu
• spiritual entity
• worship
• afro-brazilian religion
• supernatural

Corpo fechado is a spiritual protection granted by Dona Zulmira through a choker she gives Besouro after his river escape. It renders him nearly invincible against all attacks and weapons, making him nearly impossible to kill in combat. However, this protection has one critical vulnerability: it cannot defend against attacks from the sacred ticum tree.

• corpo fechado
• don zulmira
• choker
• invulnerability
• ticum tree

Quero-Quero was Besouro's childhood friend and fellow capoeirista, but several factors drove him to betrayal. He became jealous when Dinorá chose Besouro over him. Additionally, Quero-Quero believed Besouro's guerrilla attacks were worsening oppression for their community and bringing harsher reprisals. These personal and political motivations led him to collaborate with Coronel Venâncio.

• quero-quero
• betrayal
• dinora
• jealousy
• colonel venancio

Quero-Quero kills a man and deliberately frames Besouro for the crime to provoke a harsher crackdown. He then goes further by revealing to the authorities that Besouro's corpo fechado invulnerability can be pierced by a machete made from ticum wood. This information directly leads to Besouro's eventual death.

• frame
• murder
• ticum machete
• police
• betrayal

Dinorá was Quero-Quero's fiancée, but she chooses Besouro instead. The film portrays her decision as aligning with the resistance cause, Besouro actively fights against Venâncio's oppression while Quero-Quero collaborates with the colonels. Her choice creates the personal triangle that intensifies the rivalry between the two men.

• dinora
• quero-quero
• love triangle
• besouro
• choice

After cornering Besouro with his men, Venâncio uses a machete carved from ticum wood, the only material that can pierce Besouro's corpo fechado protection. With this specific weapon, Venâncio delivers the fatal blow, ending Besouro's life. This reveals the tragic limitation of Besouro's supernatural invulnerability.

• colonel venancio
• ticum machete
• death
• corpo fechado
• final battle

After Besouro's death, it's revealed Dinorá was pregnant with his child. She gives birth to a son who is named after his father. The boy grows up learning capoeira from Besouro's ally Chico Canoa, keeping the legacy of resistance alive through the next generation.

• dinora
• child
• son
• legacy
• chico canoa

In the closing moments, the grown boy (Besouro's son) stares directly at Coronel Venâncio in the street. This charged glance implies he will eventually seek vengeance for his father's death. The film ends with the suggestion that the struggle against oppression continues through the next generation, with the boy potentially becoming the new champion of the resistance.

• ending
• vengeance
• son
• future
• colonel venancio
• legacy