Brooklyn's Finest

Living in New York City I’ve watched more than a few films made on the streets that I routinely walked. There is something special about having your home town used as a setting for a movie. No matter what the topic may be the familiarity brings a certain intimacy to the proceedings. Many of the movie made here are crime dramas. It not that New York City is so full of crime but in its five boroughs but there is such an amazing cultural diversity that you can utilize this city as the back drop of any story imaginable. more specifically I hail from the borough of Brooklyn which even in the social tapestry of the city at large is unique with the assortment of cultures, languages and living conditions that makes it a truly cosmopolitan city on its own. One of the most recent movies to feature this distinctive location is the star studded police thriller, ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’. This film makes an admirable and wholehearted attempt at being the best crime flick it can and although there are some missteps along the way the result is a piece of entertainment that is far more satisfying on the emotional level than many members of this well trod genre. The film reflects the gritty life of an urban police officer ranging in tone from plodding doldrums to explosions of taught action. At times it appears to be a self parody set in motion by coincidence that stretches the laws of probability. The thing is this film handles this type of situation with skill sufficient to gain and more importantly maintain your interest. The improbability usually only becomes apparent in hindsight so do go into this movie expecting to suspend belief to some degree in order to achieve the maximum quota of enjoyment. Just try to experience this film not overly subject it to real life comparison.

The only prior experience listed for the screen writer, Michael C. Martin is as a staff writer for the short lived but intense Showtime series ‘Sleeper Cell’. This at least provided a background employing a modern urban area as a setting for the action. The basic format of the story is a difficult one to properly manage so credit must be given to Mr. Martin for attempting it so early in his writing career. There are three distinctive story lines following different officers all running head long on a collision course. Martin takes sufficient time to build the individual back stories establishing the foundation for how these three individuals will exert an inexorable synergistic influence on each other. Like many movies presented in three acts this one starts off well laying the ground work to set up the characters and begin the tension. The second act picks up from there and pushes the factions into an adversarial confrontation but regrettably the concluding act is unable to take the action from simmer to full boil leaving a touch of disappointment during the roll of the end credits. It doesn’t feel like a lack of talent on Martin’s part is to blame; he just requires a little time to develop his obvious skill set in the craft. The overall effect here is carefully braiding a rope but not knowing how to secure the end tightly. Helping to shore up some of the gaps in the script is the expertly handled direction by Antoine Fuqua. He has already greatly distinguished his action based directorial style with such firmly constructed films as ‘Training Day’ and ‘King Arthur’. This movie is so incredibly paced that you barely have time to catch your breath. It’s not like you have to wait all that long for things to get moving. The very first scene we see two men sitting in a car, the darkness of the night surrounding them. Unexpectedly a fairly major actor receives a bullet directly to the face. Towards the end Fuqua pulls off a get shot. In one long uncut scene the principles are shown visually tying them together vastly increasing the pay off that is about to occur. It is reassuring to see a writer and director’s work mess in this fashion were the script is reinforced by the style of direction at just the right moment.

Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) is a detective who should be satisfied with his life. He owns a nice home and his family seems to be expanding steadily. Unfortunately, his salary falls short of keeping up with increasing demand. To supplement his income Sal has taken to helping himself to any spare cash that happens to present itself during the course of the drug raids he performs. While Sal sees a necessity to these actions they are in direct conflict with his deeply religious nature. Compounding his quagmire his wife, Angela (Lili Taylor) is carrying twins but toxic mold rampart in their home is threatening her health. The next central character is police officer Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere). He is somewhat of a cop movie cliché of being in his last week before retirement. For over two decades Eddie has drifted by in his duties current supervises young offices in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Brooklyn. He barely ekes out his days and nights self medicating with alcohol. There is no one in his life he is remotely attached to except a hooker, Chantel Shannon Kane) he frequents. The last of the trio is Detective Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle) whose primary assignment is going deep undercover for the narcotics division. He has been plugging away at getting promoted off the streets to a desk job but this has eluded him until one opportunity avails itself; betray a drug dealer, Caz ((Wesley Snipes) who has become a close friend. He is offered a shot at moving up by a federal agent (Ellen Barkin) if he turns Caz over.

The movie accomplishes most of what it sets out to do providing a reasonably entertaining time largely due to some quirky but solid performances. Most of the cast are reprising roles they are familiar with offering the audience an interesting set of finely tuned character studies. In any case the movie tends towards the melodramatic but manages to avoid tipping over the line.

Posted 07/23/2010