Brooklyn's Finest

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, director of Training Day (see 4/24/10 post), Brooklyn's Finest is another visual and emotional rollercoaster about cops, what makes them strong and what makes them break. The movie follows three different cops played by Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere, and Don Cheadle. Ethan Hawke plays an unstable Narcotics agent looking for a way to provide for his family of 7. Richard Gere plays an alcoholic, washed out, suicidal, and uninspired cop 7 days before his retirement. Don Cheadle is an deep undercover cop slowly loosing grip of his identity.

The one thing you notice from the beginning is how emotional and damaged everyone in this movie is. Everyone has their demons and each actor delivers these emotional eruptions and slips perfectly. The script is well written and also flows very well, going from story to story with ease and fluidity. Every story change feels in place and well done. Each story is also very unique from the next, keeping the viewer interested and curious as to what would happen next. Also, unlike most films with parallel story lines, no story is stronger or better written/acted than the others. Each one is captivating and potent in all the elements that make a good film.

The only downfall of the movie was that this film isn't truly unique as a whole. Films about cops, corruption, and questionable ethics have been around since the dawn of the reel, so I didn't feel like I was being blown away by some new and exciting frontier. That being said, this film does the genre justice and can proudly sit with Training Day, Narc, and other great films in its class.

Also, a little tidbit that I liked: The movie does have an original score that's pretty epic. For the most part though, there isn't music in the film and when there is actual popular music, it's coming from a stereo somewhere in the movie itself. I just thought that was kinda cool.

Definitely pick this one up if you get the chance.

9.5/10