Movie Review - 'Brooklyn's Finest'

Brooklyn's Finest Starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle Directed by Antoine Fuqua Rated R

Finding the way out depends on where you're standing. The three cops in Brooklyn's Finest are each face to face with a situation they can't wait to escape: One feels he has nothing left to live for, another every reason to bend the rules for his family, and the third just wants his old life back after years undercover and under the gun. Each man has different stakes, and each one of their actions carry their own consequences. But the desperation, that need to get out, is etched on their embattled faces. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) has a week left on the job, and yet he can't find the will to break his morning ritual of a shot of whiskey and the muzzle of a revolver in his mouth. His wife's moved out, the world's moved on, and Eddie just wants to keep his head down for seven more days. And then, well, he's out. And that's that. After years of being undercover as part of one of Brooklyn's most ruthless drug gangs, Tango (Don Cheadle) sees a promotion and a desk job in his future, but when? As it often happens in the movies, he has one more hurdle to overcome first, the dangling carrot held over a cliff. And with his family growing faster and faster, far outstripping his ability to take care of them, the way out for Sal (Ethan Hawke) may actually get him deeper in. There's a lot of dirty drug money flowing through Brooklyn and as Sal says, he hasn't gotten a raise in four years. Why should seized drug money go to the city's excess fund to buy some government official a new mahogany desk and a Persian rug, Sal asks. He has twins on the way and three more mouths to feed on top of it. Tough to do that on an honest cop's salary. These stories, in and of themselves, are nothing new. The undercover cop, the retiring cop, and the cop looking to just get his head above water are standard movie characters. Brooklyn's Finest overcomes that thanks in part to the performances by the three leads and some of the supporting players, but also a script by Michael C. Martin that really moves and gives the actors both good dialogue and substantial motivation. Even though there are three separate but equal narratives building to their own conclusions, the action never feels rushed, particularly in the third act, which is where these things usually fall on their faces. Director Antoine Fuqua shows remarkable control, given that most of his films aren't known for the subtlety. There are a few superfluous scenes and some action that feels a little repetitive but they're not dealbreakers. Of the lead actors, Hawke is the most impressive. He goes through the wringer here, and it looks like this was a difficult film for him physically. That fits his character perfectly, and while you're rooting for him to wind his way through his moral dilemma, you also understand what he's going through and why he's going through it. It may be an archtypal movie cop, but it's not really typical. Brooklyn's Finest never really loses its way, but if there's a drawback, it's that its way would be pretty hard to lose. It's a simple structure that could probably do a lot more with the talent at hand, but what it does it does well enough. Even better in the case of Hawke.

Comments

[MM]

Not a word about Snipes role?

[Don Draper]

I'm sorry Colin, this flick was a piece of crap. I'm trying to think what was good about this flick. Nothing the only interesting element was the Ellen Barkin character, & how she played off of Will Patton & Don Cheadle. She actually had the movie's best line. This was just long & excessive just nowhere to go. I am suprised it was even made. This should've been straight to DVD. 2 & 1.5 hours of my life down the drain well it felt like 2.5 hours. I was hoping it would be at least decent, not even that. I hate this time of year for movies, please tell me when May rolls around.

[PaulGT]

I seen this hoping it would be similiar to "Training Day," however I was very dissapointed with this movie.

The only character that I found interesting, was "Tango," the other two main characters in the movie were pretty much disposable, and their issues laughable.

I found that Sal's motivation for his flaws were a little ridiculous (wood mold?) and the remarkable circumstance that keeps Eddie from finishing his life was unbelieveable, and the ending scene was poorly done.
It was a long chain of unbelievable circumstance that came to a rather anti-climatic and under-delivering end. I expected a movie about gritty crime, and police officers that are having to deal with it, and I found empty characters with little background and a somewhat boring story.

I think if they based the movie around "Tango's" struggles with his undercover work, and had the other two (Sal and Eddie) support this storyline, whether to tragic, or heroic end, would have made a much more believable and enjoyable movie.

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