<em>Brooklyn's Finest</em>; A Trio Of Tragedies

; A Trio Of Tragedies
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Brooklyn's Finest is a cop movie directed by Antoine Fuqua of Training Day fame. Once again this talented director takes us into the world of the police on the beat, undercover and in the raids. Brooklyn's Finest focuses on three men who are on the Brooklyn police payroll. They are played by Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle and each actor brings something special to his role.

Sal (Hawke) is a dedicated policeman but more than that he is a dedicated family man. He and his wife, Angela, are good Catholics and the proud parents of five children. Now Angela is pregnant with twins and Sal has to get her a new home. She is asthmatic and the wood mole in their current house is making her sick. But to getting a new house requires more money than Sal earns, so he has taken to picking up drug money and making it his own.

Tango (Cheadle) is an undercover cop. He is deep undercover and is ready to come out. His boss (Will Patton) keeps promising a big promotion if he will stay on the job for a few more days. So Tango stays and works with a drug kingpin named Caz (Wesley Snipes).The problem is Caz and Tango form a bond of sorts, and while he is working to get the guys who supply the drugs he wants to protect Caz to some extent.

Eddie (Gere) is a cop who is burned out totally. He has less than a week to go before his retirement is effective and so he wants only to go through the motions and stay safe. When he is assigned a rookie to ride with him it angers him because he doesn't want to be responsible for anyone else.

These three stories only tangentially touch as they play out to a distinct climax in each case. Still the stories form a whole because of their common origin. It all has to do with being a cop and how the various duties and various familial situations can add to the pressure of the job.

All three actors are excellent in their roles. Cheadle creates a character who has that frenetic urge to get things done so he can get out. He is volatile and his explosions come out of the blue. Gere's character is dead-eyed and disconnected. He has checked out mentally if not physically. Hawke's character is the most emotional. He is torn between the job and his family and also between what is right and what is wrong. He is a character struggling with divisive elements within himself.

The film is rated R for profanity, violence and nudity.

Brooklyn's Finest is a film that grips you from the very first scene and holds your interest throughout the movie. It is intense and emotional. The three characters capture your mind and you walk with them down the path to tragedy, tragedy that comes in different shapes and different forms.

The storylines may be a little too coincidental in the way the evolution of the action occurs, but overall, the movie keeps you waiting for the next event to happen. To me that is entertaining.

I scored Brooklyn's Finest a copped 6 out of 10.

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