Brooklyn’s Finest: A Contradiction?
“There’s no such thing as right and wrong, only righter and wronger.” Thus begins our journey into the corrupt and dangerous, if grammatically incorrect world of New York cops. Brooklyn’s Finest follows the stories of 3 cops facing very different problems whilst trying to ‘Serve and Protect’. Don Cheadle is deep undercover in a criminal gang wanting his life back; Richard Gere is a burnt out alcoholic with 7 days until retirement whilst Ethan Hawke is tempted by drug money to provide for his sick wife and ever increasing brood.
Slotted into cinemas on the opening weekend of the World Cup implies how much faith the film company has in its box office potential, but those without a love of the beautiful game are in for a treat. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the man behind Training Day it’s made clear very quickly that we’re on familiar ground; Life is never black and white in the war on gang violence, more a rather murky grey. The director’s style suits the material perfectly; full of unforgiving and revealing close ups, sudden outbursts of violence and infused with so much grit you’ll believe they dragged the camera through the gutter. The film carries an 18 certicate and uses it to its full extent to provide a mature, raw and hard edged account of life on the street in the Big Apple.
Which indicates that it’s not exactly a bundle of laughs. With the tone turned all the way down it may prove too heavy for some but those who like their dramas with a capital D will have plenty to revel in. The script is tight, intelligent and provides plenty of tense moments; a game of ‘who’s the rat’ involving Cheadle’s undercover cop and Wesley Snipes’ gang boss is a particular high point. Although a lot of the authentic slang will whizz straight over the heads’ of most; it is delivered to a high standard by all concerned with special mentions to Richard Gere; his grizzled vet provides moments of real heartbreak among all the coke and claret. While Ethan Hawke is as believable as always giving genuine credibility to a man driven to do bad things for a good reason. All this is topped by Fuqua producing a suitably thrilling final act, that will undoubtably lead to the shredding of many a cinema armrest.
The ‘Finest’ in the title may not refer to modern policing but it certainly applies to crime drama. And not a vuvuzela in sight….
