In the exciting opening scene of Brooklyn’s Finest, bad guy Carlo (Vincent D’Onofrio, in an effective but too brief performance) explains to Sal (Ethan Hawke) his philosophy about “righter and wronger.” Issues of moral relativism drive this taut cop thriller, and it is sometimes hard to tell the cops from the criminals. Crisp direction from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day), compelling characters and a trio of excellent lead performances kept me completely engaged in a film from a genre I usually avoid. The film is a bit of a downer but it is exciting and enjoyable.

Brooklyn’s Finest follows the lives of three cops over several days, as they each struggle with their jobs, lives and morality.  Eddie (Richard Gere) is a few days short of retiring after 20 years on the job. He contemplates suicide, visits prostitutes and crosses the days off his locker calendar. When he is ordered to spend his last few days training a rookie, he balks. When the squad commander asks Eddie if he wants to spend his last two minutes on the job doing something worthwhile, Eddie answers, “No.” But Eddie’s cop days are not quite over. Tango (Don Cheadle) is deep undercover in a drug ring and is promised a promotion if he can make one more drug bust. But Tango is torn between his job and his strange loyalty to drug dealer Caz (Wesley Snipes). Sal (Ethan Hawke) arrests drug dealers but the stress of supporting his children and pregnant wife Angela (Lili Taylor) challenges his moral code, despite support from honest partner Ronny (Brian F. O’Byrne). The three main cops have no real scenes together, but their lives intersect at the end of the film.

Richard Gere, looking haggard and hopeless, is the essence of the burned out cop who just wants his pension. Eddie’s affect is flat as he goes through the motions of his last week on the job, refusing to be interested in his rookie partners.  When one of them berates him for not interfering when a man hits a woman, saying, “In my book that is called a coward,” Gere replies flatly, “But you know I’m not much of a reader.” But when he finally turns in his badge and is told, “You’re done” Gere replies with disappointment, “That’s it?” Despite outward appearances, Eddie is not quite done with being a cop.  The excellent Don Cheadle is charismatic and convincing as Tango, the undercover cop. He is tough when posing as a drug dealer, and we see why his cover is intact. He is jumpy as the cop who is having trouble keeping his two lives separate, as he demands, “I want my life back,” while waving a fork in the face of his commanding officer. Cheadle shows how close to the edge Tango is when he nearly hits Agent Smith (a tough as any tough guy Ellen Barkin) after she tries to pressure him into setting up the dealer who befriended him. It is one of the film’s most intense scenes and Cheadle and Barkin play it perfectly. Ethan Hawke’s tattooed and smoking Sal is wound so tightly that we know he will snap; it is just a matter of when. Hawke is convincing as the caring husband and father when with his wife and children. Sal almost hits one his cop friends for making a racist remark in front of his children, and goes to confession after he bends the rules. “I don’t want God’s forgiveness, I want his help,” he tells his priest. But Sal is merciless with the criminals he encounters, and Hawke is scary as Sal gets darker every time he bends the rules. Wesley Snipes gives an understated and completely believable performance as drug dealer Caz, and has real chemistry with Cheadle. Brian F. O’Byrne plays honest cop Ronny with rough sincerity, as the one cop who has not lost his way.

Despite a running time of 132 minutes, the film never drags. Director Antoine Fuqua keeps things moving at a brisk pace, and sustains suspense and excitement throughout the film. Apparently the parts of Brooklyn these cops frequent have not yet been gentrified. These streets look gritty and unsafe. There are lots of scenes in restaurants, cars and near graffiti covered buildings. Fuqua uses many close-ups and many two person scenes, which adds to the film’s intensity. Fuqua has assembled an excellent cast, and gets strong performances from all of them. Michael C. Martin’s screenplay is full of tension and believable small moments.  Its only flaw is that the resolution is dependent on a series of coincidences that strain credulity.

This film reminds me somewhat of Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, although nowhere near as strong and without the twists and turns. But the complex characters and performances had me hooked, and I found that I was rooting for their moral sides. The three main characters are deeply flawed, but that is what makes them, and Brooklyn’s Finest, compelling.

Brooklyn’s Finest .  Directed by Antoine Fuqua.  Richard Gere (Eddie), Don Cheadle (Tango), Ethan Hawke (Sal), Wesley Snipes (Caz), Vincent D’Onofrio (Carlo), Brian F. O’Byrne (Ronny Rosario), Lili Taylor (Angela)and Ellen Barkin (Agent Smith). Overture Films, 2009.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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