cinemajesty Movie Review: "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009)Produced and directed with the best intentions by director Antoine Fuqua to create a masterful hyper-realistic crime-thriller including three strong leading men Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle and Richard Gere and a special appearance by Wesley Snipes as prison-released character of Caz; nevertheless this movie premiering on January 16th 2009 at Sundance Film Festival and then parked for another year in some non-realized distribution deal-in-the-making ambience with picture-neglecting deep-industry-connected producers John Thompson and Basil Iwanyk, who hardly convinced director Antoine Fuqua to deliver empathetic meaning within a overly-structured storyline of three cops in the service for more or less in favors for the New York Police Force, when stark realities hit in feminine-state-of-existence-denying scenes of violence with gun, fist and up talking mouths that this well-crafted but utterly cold crime-thriller in its unbalanced 125-Minute-Editorial by cutter Barbara Tulliver vanishes from the spectre's mind as soon as curtains roll.© 2018 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

seymourblack-1 The extraordinary pressures confronted by three very different NYPD officers provide the basis for this hard-hitting cop drama which, despite covering familiar ground, does a good job of making its audience think about what's asked of these men, the value of their work to society and the poor ways in which they're rewarded. Their individual stories are skilfully interwoven in a way that seems very natural until they all eventually meet up in the movie's highly dramatic climax.Veteran beat cop Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is just trying to get through his last week before retirement in the most uneventful way possible. He's depressed, burnt-out and suicidal having been broken by everything he's had to deal with over his 22-year career and his lack of enthusiasm for his work isn't understood or appreciated by the rookies who he's been instructed to mentor in one of Brooklyn's most challenging neighbourhoods. He's become used to the lack of respect that he gets from his colleagues and the only breaks he gets from his misery are when he hits the bottle or when he visits his good-natured hooker called Chantel (Shannon Kane).Drug squad detective Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) is frustrated by not being paid enough to support his wife and family despite the fact that he works hard in an extremely dangerous job. He's desperate to move out of his current mould-infested accommodation as it will soon become too small for his growing family and is anxious about the effect that the mould is having on the health of his asthmatic wife and one of their children. For some time, Sal has been stealing money he recovers during the drug raids he leads, but the fact that even this doesn't provide him with enough to make his first payment on a new home, drives him into even more criminality. Despite being a Catholic who's devoted to his faith, he habitually rationalises what he does because it's for the benefit of his family.Detective Tango Butler (Don Cheadle) is an undercover cop who has, for some considerable time, been posing as a drug dealer in a large-scale operation. He's close to cracking under the pressure of what he's doing because he's starting to feel more loyalty to the people he lives and works with rather than his superior officers who regularly promise him a promotion that repeatedly fails to materialise. His torment is then made even worse when he's instructed to set up drug kingpin Caz Phillips (Wesley Snipes). This is because Tango can't bring himself to betray his friend who'd previously saved his life but also, he knows that if he doesn't, he'll have no chance of promotion or escaping his current, increasingly unbearable circumstances.The ways in which these three men try to deal with their problems at the same time as confronting the day to day dangers of their work, makes this a very intense, gritty and tragic drama which shows how easy it can be to lose sight of the lines between right and wrong. This is essentially a character-driven piece and as such, benefits hugely from having a terrific cast of actors on board. Gere, Hawke and Cheadle are all excellent as they depict the anguish that their characters go through and Wesley Snipes' contribution is also very memorable.

Scott LeBrun This is a compelling tale of the dedicated cops of NYC, those men who work the mean streets and are affected day after day by what they see. They each have their own issues that they must deal with, and they don't all deal with them that effectively. Overall, the film does have a feeling of familiarity but it *also* has a feeling of real authenticity. That's thanks in no small part to some very sharp acting and no-nonsense, no frills direction from Antoine Fuqua. Fuqua rarely lets melodrama get in the way of honest storytelling. He never glamorizes the world of either the cops or the crooks, and, with the help of his cast, creates some characters who live in a "shades of grey", realistic universe.Three different stories of three different lawmen are told, all of which converge at the same location late in the film. Ethan Hawke is Sal, a man with a family who robs from criminal scum because his salary can't cover the expenses of caring for an ailing, pregnant wife (Lili Taylor) and moving to a better residence. Don Cheadle plays Tango, an undercover cop unhappy with the fact that he's being forced to build a case against an old friend, Caz (Wesley Snipes) in order for him to make detective. And Richard Gere has the role of Eddie, a veteran uniformed officer who's due to retire shortly and who has become a very world weary and jaded type.The first rate ensemble also includes Will Patton as Tangos' demanding boss, Ellen Barkin as the uncaring, ambitious Agent Smith, Michael K. Williams as the lowlife Red, Brian F. O'Byrne as Sals' comrade Ronny, and Shannon Kane as Eddies' gal pal Chantel. There are cameo roles for the lovely Lela Rochon (who in real life is Mrs. Fuqua), and Vincent D'Onofrio. Everybody involved delivers a fine performance, but Cheadle and Gere are particularly good.Screenwriter Michael C. Martin and director Fuqua aren't afraid to get grim - overall "Brooklyn's Finest" has a very serious tone - although in the end, they also are able to inject some level of hope and redemption.Eight out of 10.

deatman9 With so many great crime dramas out there it is hard to compete because personally in the back of my mind I will always be comparing them to the greats. This one however holds up. Richard Gere gives an outstanding performance and there is a interesting interwoven plot to keep you on the edge of your seat.This movie follows three cops who don't know each other but have something in common. In the end they will all find themselves in the same dangerous situation.This movie is really good but it just cant compare to movies like The Departed or training day. It is still a really good movie and I think everyone should watch it.