Monday, July 12, 2010

Brooklyn's Finest (2009) **

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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