Welcome back Wesley Snipes!..
Brooklyn’s Finest (2009)
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua (Training Day)
The Prologue
I think the big story from Brooklyn’s Finest is the return of Wesley Snipes. This being his first theatrical role since Blade 3 if my memory is working right for me at the moment. Of course Snipes is by no means the star of this film as it holds an all star cast of such names as Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere, and Don Cheadle just to name a few.
While I think the movie is worth watching, I just don’t think the film is anything too special. While very good it just isn’t great by any means.
The Movie
Three New York police officers who are each taking their careers in different directions end up all in the same place one fateful night. Basically what you get here is your basic cop drama. The film while not in the same class as The Departed does at times have that same sort of feel to it.
The three stories that make up Brooklyn’s Finest are of Eddie (Richard Gere) who has done just enough to get by his whole time on the force. He doesn’t seem to be happy with his life at all and it looks as the clock winds down on his career he is in the mood to do something drastic. Sal (Ethan Hawke) who has a growing family and currently is having trouble getting by on what he makes from the job. Trying hard to make a better life for his family he decides the clean cop route may not be the best way to go. And rounding things up is Tango (Don Cheadle) who has been undercover soo long he’s not only getting sucked into what he’s having to do a little too far but he’s been under soo long he’s lost his family in the process.
One key grip I got with the movie (and it’s one I tend to have a lot as of late) is that out of our three main guys here none are really too likable. Now given the situation and the story that’s probably just how it’s supposed to be but it kinda hurts when the guy who you want to see make it through everything the most is an ex con named Caz (Wesley Snipes). The setting however is a gritty one, and while you won’t really like someone per say, you’ll have enough to hold you til the end of this two hour ride.
If there’s one thing this story drives home it’s that everyone is jaded. No matter if it’s the gangs, the cops, or whatever everything in this movie seems to be a shade of gray. At times you seem to be rooting for people even when you know they aren’t doing the right thing. But as the opening lines in the film tell us, “it’s a matter of righter and wronger.” So while everything in this film could be taken as wrong, you just have to really side with the less of the evil.
The violence kicks up in the final act and while it does drag for just a bit you do end up with a film well worth watching. However, not a film your going to be remembering for years to come.
The Conclusion
Not the best movie in this genre I’ve ever seen but it serves well while you watch it the first time. Not sure you’re going to be wanting to repeat that watch for some time but good while it last.
The Rating (7/10)
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