Brooklyn’s Finest is actually not that bad. The acting was very good. The story did have some problems, but it is a good first script from someone with almost no experience (Michael C. Martin). I think that the best way to enjoy this movie would be to not expect too much. The trailer made it look like the next big cop movie, and I was expecting a film which would rival The Departed or Training Day. Brooklyn’s Finest was alright, it just wasn’t as good as I expected it to be.
Brooklyn’s Finest tells the story of three completely separate cops in New York City-or more specifically, Brooklyn- each at different points in their career. Sal (Ethan Hawke) is just struggling to provide for his large family. Tango (Don Cheadle) has been undercover for too long, and is looking to get out. Eddie (Richard Gere) is an older officer on his last week on the job, struggling just to finish the day. Through a series of different events, these three cops end up in the same situation, at the same time.
Ethan Hawke is definitely the star of this movie. The other actors are of course good, but Hawke really gets into his character and stands out as the best character in this picture. Don Cheadle is fine, but doesn’t shine and Richard Gere has seen better days. Each of them show the right traits to play their character, but they don’t seem to be able to connect to the character on the same level Hawke does, really bringing his character to life.
Antoine Furqua, the director, does a relatively good job of bringing the movie to life. He is the man behind Training Day and Shooter, so again, I expected something better. This is definitely not one of his best movies ever, and I don’t see him winning an Oscar for this film, but the direction is still okay. The camera angles used can be effective, although sometimes the story telling techniques fall short, and the audience might not understand everything that is going on onscreen.
Brooklyn’s Finest was an alright cop movie, but it will not be remembered the same way other movies by Furqua will be, such as Training Day. The acting is good, particularly that of Ethan Hawke, but the story doesn’t quite follow through on what you’d expect from such a movie. It still is entertaining, and I’d recommend renting it once, but it’s not really worth buying Brooklyn’s Finest.