Review of Brooklyn's Finest

At first look, a movie that consists of veterans Richard Gere and Wesley Snips paired up with actors such as Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Will Patton and Hassan Johnson would leave viewers to believe that the movie is going to be nothing short of amazing. Unfortunately, like many movies that put too many heavyweights in one film, some out shine each other and others do not perform up to par. That is the case with Antoine Fuqua's latest film, Brooklyn's Finest.

Brooklyn's Finest is about three Brooklyn New York Police officers and their personal and professional journey on the police force. Richard Gere is a veteran police officer whom is seven days from retirement thus does not care about the job anymore. Those feelings are evident when he failed to properly show a rookie cop the ropes, which led to the death of that rookie cop only a day later. The only thing Richard Gere does care about is the sexual relationship that he has with an Hispanic prostitute of whom he unsuccessfully tried to elevate from her "profession" on the day he retired. At the end of the movie, Gere does save three young forced prostitutes from the grips of Hassan Johnson and another man.

Don Cheadle started off as a good guy in which he was an undercover officer desperately trying to make first grade detective but is being jerked around by his superior Will Patton. Don Cheadle's assignment was to infiltrate a drug, murder and prostitution organization ran by actor Wesley Snipes. While undercover in prison, Wesley Snipes' character saved the life of Don Cheadle thus making his assignment of bringing Wesley Snipes down all the more difficult. Cheadle's character began emotionally and morally involved with Wesley Snipes which resulted in Cheadle's superiors hiring men in Snipe's organization to murder Snipes. As a result, Cheadle commits a double homicide killing the men whom murdered Snipes. As he stopped to reload and pump more rounds into an already dead man, Cheadle is murdered by a fellow officer who was unaware that Cheadle was a cop.

Ethan Hawke plays a Narc detective who is the father of four with twins on the way. In addition, his wife has asthma and the family is living in a tiny house that is molding and causing his wife to have pregnancy complications. All of these issues have made Ethan Hawke a dirty cop as he desperately attempts steal money from drug dealers to pay for a house that the realtor is keeping off the market until Tuesday as a favor. When all hope is lost, Hawke goes to the location of a canceled police raid and attempts to get the money he knows is in the apartment. Hawke successfully ends the life of three teenage boys whom were occupying the apartment but only to be murdered by a forth young man coming back into the apartment.

In the opening scene, Ethan Hawke is listening to a man that assumingly is a friend of his. By the end of the story in between laughs, Ethan Hawke blows the mans' head off without warning. Almost instantly, the audience fasten their seat belts for what was thought to be a collar coaster ride of a motion picture.
But shortly after Ethan Hawke blew off the unknown man's head, the movie took a turn down Lame Drive and Too-Damn-Long Boulevard leaving the audience anticipating the action, thrills and excitement shown in the movies trailer. Unfortunately, the action, thrills and excitement comes in during the last 15 minutes of the 150 minute (2 1/2 hour) film. The story line of all three officers took entirely too long to develop causing viewers to fall asleep, grow restless and even walk out of the theater. Richard Gere's characters story had nothing to do with Ethan Hawke's character story or Don Cheadle's character story, which also took away from the film. If the stories of all three officers would have cross paths at some point in the film it would have strengthened the movie itself.

Overall, the acting in the film was also hit and miss. Although Richard Gere played a troubled retiring police officer, his acting resembled his acting in Unfaithful, depthless and boring. Don Cheadle did a superb job as did Will Patton and Hasson Johnson. Watching Ethan Hawke was like watching him trade places with Denzel Washington in Training Day except Hawke is not a good enough actor to pull off what the role was asking of him.

In the end, Brooklyn's Finest exemplifies that the audience uses the past work of actors when choosing to see a movie. By Monday, reports will say that Brooklyn's Finest is the #1 movie in the country but it will not be due to the film itself. If would be due to the reputation of the Cheadle, Gere, Hawke and Snipes, the reason many people were going to see the film. Honestly, Brooklyn's Finest deserves 2.5 stars.