Brooklyn's Finest (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Conner R

  
  I don't know why this was so universally bashed, it's really a great move and in many ways beats out its contemporaries like Crash. The main reason for that is fact that it doesn't have a single overbearing message that it's trying to convey for the entire movie,… More
  I don't know why this was so universally bashed, it's really a great move and in many ways beats out its contemporaries like Crash. The main reason for that is fact that it doesn't have a single overbearing message that it's trying to convey for the entire movie, each character has their own message. I think Antoine Fuqua usually has a great style that he brings to his movies and this is a prime example of it. This often times has a visual style that mirrors each central character's tone, which I thought was pretty cool. Also, just from a visual standpoint Brookyln's Finest is extremely impressive. It reminds me a lot of The French Connection in that it has a realistic element that you can't quite put your finger on, but it's undeniably there. The story lines did a perfect job of intersecting; it wasn't obtrusive or cheesy, but gave you a feeling that this was just a massive city. The depiction of the police and criminals was really interesting; I liked that neither side was labeled as outright heroes or villains. (on a side note, I think it's hilarious that Richard Gere is rescuing hookers again). The core stories depend on individual decisions and morals rather that simple foreshadowing or having a plot that needs to go a certain direction. When the final climax finally hits, it's truly beautiful how everything works out. This is also strengthened by its performances; Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke all turn in extremely good performances. All of their characters are conveyed in a way that makes them feel like real people. The acting isn't overblown or drawn out for oscar season. Chances are, if you're willing to give this a chance, it'll probably be a really nice surprise.

• familiar s

  
  If this was finest, God forbid me from seeing its worst. Except for a single scene, the complete movie was boring to the core.

• E.J. B

  
  The cops and criminals genre has been done to death, and Hollywood's offerings as of late suggest that they have completely run out of ideas. With the exception of The Town (itself somewhat of a retread of Michael Mann's Heat), I can't even think of a movie from this… More
  The cops and criminals genre has been done to death, and Hollywood's offerings as of late suggest that they have completely run out of ideas. With the exception of The Town (itself somewhat of a retread of Michael Mann's Heat), I can't even think of a movie from this genre worth mentioning that's come out in the past five years. Brooklyn's Finest is no different. Instead of one cliched narrative, we get three, each connected with the other only through the film's central themes. There's the crooked cop who has had it with the system who he perceives just as corrupt. There's the undercover who's in too deep and it's destroying him mentally. And there's the beat cop who is on the cusp of retiring. He has no intention of making any difference in his profession, and just can't wait until the week is over, but before it is, he may just yet have a chance to do something heroic. The plus side to the film features some strong performances by Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, and Richard Gere. Hawke is especially good, because he's essentially playing the Denzel Washington character from Training Day, and he pulls it off well. Interesting, since he played the heroic rookie in that film. Director Antoine Fuqua sets a very serious tone, so much so that the third act feels as epic as a Greek tragedy. The film was shot in an actual slum in Brooklyn, and the slang seemed, at least to me, to reflect the lifestyle and forms of speech in this neighbourhood. But ultimately, no matter how good the visual flair or acting is, it doesn't save the film from feeling predictable. There is nothing that has been said about life in the ghetto, the corruption in the police force, or the personal toll that the job takes on its officers that hasn't been said before. It's extremely hard to engage in a story when we too easily recognize the character archetypes, and the direction the narrative is going to take.

• Roy G

  
  A well made and acted film but ultimately rather pointless.

• Cynthia S

  
  VERY GOOD movie. Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes give really great performances. I loved the way the movie was able to tell three different stories within the same precinct, then end up having them merge together in the end. This is not just another "cop… More
  VERY GOOD movie. Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke and Wesley Snipes give really great performances. I loved the way the movie was able to tell three different stories within the same precinct, then end up having them merge together in the end. This is not just another "cop movie". It has a great story, good direction and great acting.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Giuliani ain't clean up the city. Video games and television did. That's what cleaned up the streets. Come on, man, 'cause ya'll remember when everybody was outside. If you was two years old, if you was a hundred and two, you was… More
  <i>"Giuliani ain't clean up the city. Video games and television did. That's what cleaned up the streets. Come on, man, 'cause ya'll remember when everybody was outside. If you was two years old, if you was a hundred and two, you was outside."</i> Three unconnected Brooklyn cops wind up at the same deadly location after enduring vastly different career paths. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Gritty, profane, and extremely violent thriller centering around three disparate cops: a twenty-year veteran playing out his final days until retirement while struggling to keep his sanity (Gere); an undercover torn between his commitment to the job and his loyalty to the streets (Cheadle); a family man who has his morale put to the test while trying to provide a stable home for his wife and kids (Hawke); Fuqua's attempt at a police morality tale is well-crafted, strongly acted, and sure to grab your attention with intense, in-your-face violent action, but it doesn't offer enough new insight to transcend the familiar, seen-it-all before limitations of this genre. Hawke, re-collaborating with his Training Day director, stands out with an unexpectedly edgy performance. The violence, while expected for a film of this genre, is still tough to stomach at times.

• Dean !

  
  A very good cop/crime action thriller film with an impressive cast. The main story follows 3 New York cops and the pressure each one is under working in one of the worst areas of the city. Full of drugs, guns, prostitution and various gangs that are on every corner. If you like some… More
  A very good cop/crime action thriller film with an impressive cast. The main story follows 3 New York cops and the pressure each one is under working in one of the worst areas of the city. Full of drugs, guns, prostitution and various gangs that are on every corner. If you like some of the similar films you should like this. It has plenty of action and a grandstand finish!

• Jani H

  
  "Its a case of righta and wronga." Antoine Fuqua hasn't really done anything spectacular since his 2001 'Training Day', which is one of the greatest cop movies ever made. After that his come out with a mediocre 'Tears of the Sun', a decent… More
  "Its a case of righta and wronga." Antoine Fuqua hasn't really done anything spectacular since his 2001 'Training Day', which is one of the greatest cop movies ever made. After that his come out with a mediocre 'Tears of the Sun', a decent 'King Arthur' and a terrible 'Shooter'. 'Brooklyn's Finest' should be something he manages best.. a cop movie. But despite the fact that he has a lot of decent actors to his help, can he pull it off again? A senior police officer Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere), who is a hardened veteran is only a week from retirement. He fights abuse problems, suicidal thoughts and is in love with a whore. Doesn't seem as a bright future for retirement? Then there's a narcotics officer Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke), whose deeply catholic beliefs has made him head for a big family, living in a moldy house. There's gotta be a way out and maybe some dirty money could be the answer... Don Cheadle plays "Tango", an undercover cop who wants out. The FBI wants Butler aka "Tango" to nail a big time drug dealer Cazin (Wesley Snipes), who he has become good friends with. All these paths lead to a unexpected outcome from where there is no easy way out. Even though the film concentrates on these three main performers characters, and they do it decently, there's one actor who steals the entire movie, even though his role is small but important nevertheless. Wesley Snipes doesn't even have to get in to character, he just is cool and has the credibility of a street gang leader. It's impossible to make Hawke be a badass, he proved that already in 'Training Day'. His looks and his essence just doesn't shout out "Look at me, I'm on the verge of becoming a bad cop!". He's just in panic because his character can't wear a condom because of his religious beliefs... But to go back to Snipes, I've waited for this when he comes back to the big screen and gets out of the spiral of straight-to-dvd movies. Let's just hope that he gets his shit together and does what he does best. Is a credible man of the streets. The main problem with 'Brooklyn's Finest' is, that the main characters become a bit distant to the audience. The film doesn't concentrate on any of the characters, we just see them do what they do. All of them have interesting backgrounds but in my opinion, this storyline would've worked better in a miniseries for television. I just constantly waited when does the paths between them three meet. The ending seemed a bit rushed and I'm not sure if it's because of the rookie screenwriters script or Fuqua's ambition to top 'Training Day'? There's just not enough depth and emotion in the script. 'Brooklyn's Finest' is just too hollow in the end. It feels as if the filmmakers wasn't sure of what they wanted to tell the audience. The climax at the end doesn't bring any bigger feelings because I just didn't get bonded with any of the characters. I wanted to know more of 'em but the movie was just rushed. If it would've concentrated on maybe just two characters, Gere's and Cheadle's who were the more interesting ones, this movie would probably worked better. Now it's just a movie that awakens thoughts but all of this is forgotten after the end credits. A decent movie needs more than just a beliavable mood, it needs a good script.

• KJ P

  
  Brooklyn's Finest is the most underrated film of 2010. There are many over and underrated films every year, but this one takes the win for most underrated. Brooklyn's Finest shows true city cop action and story, and brings so much realism that even the smallest flaw can be… More
  Brooklyn's Finest is the most underrated film of 2010. There are many over and underrated films every year, but this one takes the win for most underrated. Brooklyn's Finest shows true city cop action and story, and brings so much realism that even the smallest flaw can be forgotten. Three crooked cops and one retired cop on opposite sides of the force are all after the same case, and finally meet. Yes, the audience knows it's coming, but the end will scare you and will have you questioning! Brooklyn's Finest is far from perfect, but it is one hell of a great ride!

• Bruce B

  
  A Step into Brooklyn NY that shows the trash and animals that plague US Cities and towns across America. But still have to give it 4 stars for the action movie it is. 4 Stars

• Dean M

  
  A gritty police drama with a great cast from the director of <i>Training Day</i> comes another chronicle of crime and corruption. <i>Brooklyn's Finest</i> centres on an operation to clean up a housing project, and three police officers facing moral… More
  A gritty police drama with a great cast from the director of <i>Training Day</i> comes another chronicle of crime and corruption. <i>Brooklyn's Finest</i> centres on an operation to clean up a housing project, and three police officers facing moral conflicts of their own. Strange, because from an opening debate about "righter and wronger", it's evident that moral relativism is being even more sharply drawn than in <i>Training Day</i>. Grizzled warhorses and doomed rookies are mired in a seamy New York where drugs, prostitution and sex-trafficking are common currency.

• Josh L

  
  I loved Training Day so I gave this one a shot despite bad word of mouth and after watching it I don't quite understand the hate. The gritty and realistic tone reminds me of Training Day and it fits well with these cop movies that Fuqua comes up with. The cast is excellent and… More
  I loved Training Day so I gave this one a shot despite bad word of mouth and after watching it I don't quite understand the hate. The gritty and realistic tone reminds me of Training Day and it fits well with these cop movies that Fuqua comes up with. The cast is excellent and every single one of them gives a standout performance. It's a great ensemble. The 3 stories don't come together at the end in a meaningful way like I thought they would, but that's one of my only complaints. Each story is interesting individually and that kept me involved throughout the somewhat long running time. I guess these cop movies must just be my thing, but for what it's worth I enjoyed Brooklyn's Finest quite a bit.

• Aaron N

  
  Captain: Don't you wanna do something useful with your last two minutes on the job? Eddie Dugan: Not really. Director Antoine Fuqua returns to the cop drama genre that got him much more notice. This time he puts together three stories, which are all well acted, but unfortunately… More
  Captain: Don't you wanna do something useful with your last two minutes on the job? Eddie Dugan: Not really. Director Antoine Fuqua returns to the cop drama genre that got him much more notice. This time he puts together three stories, which are all well acted, but unfortunately don't come together as well as they could. Still the performances are very solid and the film looks quite good, capturing a gritty tone that fits. In Brooklyn, amid drug deals, violence, casual racism, poverty, housing projects, and corrupt cops, we follow three officers: Tango (Don Cheadle), African-American, working undercover, believing he's earned a promotion to a desk job but told he has to set up the bust of an ex-con (Wesley Snipes) who saved his life; Sal (Ethan Hawke), who'll commit murder to get cash to buy a house big enough for his family; and, Eddie (Richard Gere), the precinct's oldest beat cop, a week to go before retirement, assigned to mentor an earnest rookie. Can this end well for any of the three? Really, and film that can make Richard seem interesting to me can't be all bad. I tend to find Gere boring, but here, he does a solid job as a cop who always wanted to keep his head down, but is being tested on his way out. I also enjoyed the maturity that Hawke brought to a role, as he tends to still seem young in other roles. Cheadle is always solid, so no complaints there. Then you have Wesley Snipes who is just fantastic in a role that requires him to be looking back on the life he has lived. It's sad that this story couldn't be better. All of the characters pretty much go through the motions that these standard type characters would, with the twist being that they are all in one movie together, oppose to several different ones. It essentially follows all the same patters, but manages to be edited all together this time around, making the storytelling a bit clunky, resorting to shootouts often as a way to break things up. That being said, this is a great looking film. Fuqua does a good job at capturing the city, and his camera work throughout is solid. While there may be too many gunfights to help clear up the plot, the action does look solid when it occurs, and it's quite brutal at times. There are a lot of good elements here, it just doesn't add up to a better feature. Sal Procida: I don't want god's forgiveness. I want his help.

• Douglas W C

  
  Great acting and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

• Lenny M

  
  Nope, Richard Gere is not working in this one. Tired out genre. Good to see Wesley Snipes in a movie again but he pretty much just said "muhfucka" the whole time. Excuse me.

• Michael S

  
  Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, and Ethan Hawke star as Brooklyn cops all leading very difficult (yet different) lives on and off duty In Antoine Fuqua's gritty Police drama BROOKLYN'S FINEST. The film is a showcase for it's stars, giving it their all with top-notch… More
  Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, and Ethan Hawke star as Brooklyn cops all leading very difficult (yet different) lives on and off duty In Antoine Fuqua's gritty Police drama BROOKLYN'S FINEST. The film is a showcase for it's stars, giving it their all with top-notch performances (Hawke and Cheadle have never been better). These stories are all seemingly unrelated, until fate brings them all together. <br/> <br/>The film fleshes out it's characters well, and Fuqua gives his audience a much more tight and realistic cop film then his 2001 TRAINING DAY. The film takes it's time unravelling it's story... and we do relate with and confide in these characters. BROOKLYN'S FINEST doesn't reinvent it's genre, but it does enough right and different to distinguish itself as one of the best films of it's kind (Re: Cop film) in a while. <br/> <br/>But unfortunately, with all it does right... the film falls victim to a disappointing ending. When these character's lives collide, the film kind of fell apart and I was left without a payoff or a sense of conclusion. These great characters deserved more than this film gave them in the end, but to prevent an unpleasant spoiler, I'll stop right there. <br/> <br/>BROOKLYN'S FINEST is a stellar Cop film that just didn't quite hammer home the ending. It's still one of the best film of the year, but could have been even more had a rewrite of it's finale taken place at some point.

• Derek A

  
  Decent cop flick, but it has nothing new or relevant to say. Three different stories all start slowly, then begin to mingle together with a few twists and turns which all lead to a big, grand finale. But the conclusion is still wholly unsatisfying. Couldn't help but feel like… More
  Decent cop flick, but it has nothing new or relevant to say. Three different stories all start slowly, then begin to mingle together with a few twists and turns which all lead to a big, grand finale. But the conclusion is still wholly unsatisfying. Couldn't help but feel like I've seen it all before.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  CAST: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Brian F. O'Byrne, Will Patton, Michael K. Williams, Lili Taylor, Ellen Barkin DIRECTED BY: Antoine Fuqua SUMMARY: Antoine Fuqua directs this tense drama about three wildly different New… More
  CAST: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Vincent D'Onofrio, Brian F. O'Byrne, Will Patton, Michael K. Williams, Lili Taylor, Ellen Barkin DIRECTED BY: Antoine Fuqua SUMMARY: Antoine Fuqua directs this tense drama about three wildly different New York cops whose paths collide in a Brooklyn housing project, where each must make a decision that will change the course of their lives forever. MY THOUGHTS: "This was a really good gritty cop flick. This movie has a great leading cast. Its really just a sad tale for all three cops. You got Eddie, who's a suicidal policeman that's seven days away from retirement. Then there is Tango, a cop that has been undercover for so long that the line in his real life and his life in the drug world is starting to look the same. Last there is Sal, a cop that has passed the point of no return, and is desperate to do whatever to provide for his growing family. Everything that happens in the end is a bit ironic. I won't give it away, but the ending ties their fate together in an unexpected way. This film is tense, violent, and emotional. You connect with these characters from the start. I had thought ( not knowing to much about the film until seeing it) these characters would be linked together in some way. But all their stories are played out separately. You don't see these actors on screen together for no more then a few seconds. I was surprised by that. But it just made the ending better. Good film, definitely recommend it if you like these gritty cop films."

• Tim S

  
  A great piece of filmmaking indeed. Antoine Fuqua's aesthetic (but unintentional) sequel to Training Day, makes a very fine mark on the genre.

• Chris G

  
  Three Brooklyn cops, vastly different in every way. The old patrolman (Richard Gere) who doesn't give a shit because he's put his time in and that's all he's doing now- killing time. The underpaid cop (Ethan Hawke) a Catholic with the Catholic stereotype of too… More
  Three Brooklyn cops, vastly different in every way. The old patrolman (Richard Gere) who doesn't give a shit because he's put his time in and that's all he's doing now- killing time. The underpaid cop (Ethan Hawke) a Catholic with the Catholic stereotype of too many kids and not enough money or space. The cop undercover (Don Cheadle) who is getting too wrapped up in his new world and finds it hard to figure out where to lay his loyalties- his boss or his gangster buddy (Wesley Snipes). All three go through the trials and tribulations of a life as a Brooklyn cop, going down a road to nowhere. Brooklyn's Finest is a well meaning film, but it uses numerous cop film stereotypes, becoming almost like a parody. One cop frequents a good hearted hooker. One cop wants out of undercover, but all his boss will say is that he's "working on it". One cop finds the system flawed in monetary respects. All these cliches come whizzing at you to the point of hilarity. The thing about Brooklyn's Finest is that the actors are too good to be in this. They are the reason my interest was held in the film. Otherwise this is a lukewarm film that doesn't really go anywhere because it's spinning its wheels. There's better cop films out there.

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