Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, Will Patton, Wesley Snipes, Brian F O’Byrne, Michael K Williams, Ellen Barkin, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lili Taylor 18 cert, gen release, 132 min
PROBABLY NOT funded by any New York tourism organisations, Brooklyn’s Finest paints a familiar picture of the Big Bad Apple. With its drug-riddled projects, powerful gangs and, especially, crooked cops, this feels like the grimy pre-9/11, pre-Giuliani New York as seen through the eyes of Martin Scorsese or Abel Ferrera.
The film invites us to spend time with three very different policemen during an eventful week in the famous borough. Richard Gere (drowsy, sad) is an alcoholic, potentially suicidal uniform officer counting the days until retirement. Forced to break in a younger officer, Gere complains that he’s “not a role model”, but his chance for redemption is closer than he thinks.
Meanwhile, Ethan Hawke (ratty, twitchy) is a detective and family man who shamelessly steals money from crime scenes. Best of all, the always awesome Don Cheadle (intense, bright) is an undercover cop whose job is taking its toll. Cheadle is conflicted by his affection for a drug dealer who saved his life, played by mean-eyed Wesley Snipes.
Brooklyn's Finestis engaging and exciting, but how much you get out of it depends on your stomach for grisly screen violence and your threshold for clichés. You've seen variations of each of the three main characters many times, and the plot covers similar ground to countless films and TV shows, particularly The Wire.
After floundering with
Tears of the Sunand
Shooter, director Antoine Fuqua was wise to return to themes he visited in
Training Day. While not as successful as his best film,
Brooklyn's Finestis more ambitious and emotive. Fuqua and screenwriter Michael C Martin have a lot of plates spinning, and some of the climaxes work better than others, but overall this is a well-acted and occasionally thrilling police drama.
