The story of screenwriter Michael C. Martin is a wonderful and compelling story. It’s what most of us in this business are here for. Michael was a NYC Transit worker from Brooklyn who wrote a script and got it produced. With a hell of a cast, and a strong director.
I’d hoped for a better story for an ensemble of actors of this caliber to sink their teeth into, but “Brooklyn’s Finest” has some great things going for it. It has some top-shelf actors putting in some really tremendous performances. It’s also edited really well.
There are three stories that remain separate until pretty much the end of the film.
In one story, Don Cheadle is an undercover police officer that’s into a case so far he’s lost everything from his former life. He’s become “Tango”, second-in-command of a drug dealing crew headed up by Caz, played by Wesley Snipes. As we join the story, Caz is just returning home from jail. The “New Jack City” comparisons of Wesley’s performance end with the “coming home” ceremony. There is dissension in the ranks, as the second-string players in the crew want Tango’s spot next to Caz. All Tango wants is to go home.
In the next story, Ethan Hawke plays Sal, a cop in the same precinct who is known for leading busts and raids of drug dealers in Brooklyn. He’s got a growing family, and a plan to get them out into a larger home. His line of ethics gets blurred. This is a stronger performance from Ethan than the one he turned in for “Training Day“. His character is darker. Is he a villain? Is he a victim?
And finally, Richard Gere is Eddie, a veteran cop who has never been decorated, and knows the ins and outs of the system. When we meet Eddie, he has a few days left to retirement. He’s looking forward to just getting out and retired life in Connecticut. He gets assigned some rookies to ride with, and he tries to show them how to survive. But they want to be heroes. Eddie thinks his hero days are behind him, until he makes a discovery that changes his last days.
If you saw this movie at Sundance, it has a different ending now.
The movie is extremely violent, and it’s hard to see if the violence is because of the script or just the way the director works. (think of the violence in “Training Day”, for example.) The story is in your face, but extremely predictable. There are very strong performances, especially from Hawke, Cheadle, and Gere. There are also some faces to keep an eye on, like Nicoye Banks and Shannon Kane.
Overall, though this is not a very original or great script, the actors fill in the weak spots flawlessly. “Brooklyn’s Finest” is a well acted play with a cast you couldn’t ask more of, and the right director for the job.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LlpYEpAJYE
Rating: 3 Stars
Rated R for bloody violence throughout, strong sexuality, nudity, drug content and pervasive language.
Running time: 133 Minutes
Distributor: Overture Films
Comments: