Brooklyn's Finest
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Michael C Martin, ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ could easily be the biggest surprise of the year so far, personally at least. Boasting a cast that at first would seem to be something of a hit and miss affair (not least Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke) you could be forgiven for wondering if this was really worth your time. Let me tell you right from here, that this most definitely is. Having no previous knowledge of the subject matter and only the barest synopsis to go on prior to viewing the film, I was in two minds about whether this would be able to hold my attention for any longer than it took me to say ‘New Jack City’ three times fast. By the end of the film, however, I think I was glued to my seat.
You don’t need to be a genius to work out where the film is based. The clue is in the title, but the word ‘Finest’ is open to interpretation. The story follows several days in the lives of three very different, but none too distant New York policemen, at various stages of their careers.
Opening with Ethan Hawke playing Sal, a narcotics officer, living in a rundown hole of a house with his three children and twins on the way. His wife is suffering from asthma and the rot in the walls is making it worse. He has a down payment to make on a new house for his family and a time limit to get it, but is struggling to find the cash on his meagre officer’s pay check.
Richard Gere plays Eddie, a washed-up officer who after twenty-two years on the force is now only seven days from retirement. He has become so disillusioned with his job, that he barely takes the time to stop crime unless he really has to. He regularly visits a hooker, with whom he becomes romantically attached, even if the feeling isn’t truly as reciprocated as he would want.
Lastly, Don Cheadle plays undercover officer, Clarence. (or Tango, as he is known in the Brooklyn Projects) Clarence has been working undercover for so long, he is in danger of giving up on police work entirely. Given the task of setting up the gangster boss that once saved his life, he is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place, with an impossible decision to make. Friendship and honour or promotion?
Aside from these characters we are also treated to some brilliant, if brief, performances from Vincent D’Onofrio, Wesley Snipes and Will Patton. All play their own extremely believable parts in pushing the story forward, and then slinking back into the background as it unfolds.
Completing the main cast is Ellen Barkin, who struggles in this exemplary effort, which I found surprising. Her role as Agent Smith appears overwhelmed and I struggled to find her convincing in a room full of usually average players, acting out of their respective skins. But that may just be me.
As I alluded to earlier, the similarities to ‘New Jack City’ were obvious for anyone that has seen both films. Aside from the obvious Wesley Snipes connection, both are hard edged police dramas, largely concentrating their efforts around a lower class area of a huge metropolis where crime is rife and the police officers are sometimes as corrupt as the people they are trying to catch. I pay Brooklyn’s Finest a great compliment when comparing the two, as I also found New Jack City to be riveting and compelling, even if Nino Brown and Gee Money were probably larger than life than most of the characters here. Here we are not solely interested in the apprehension of drug lords. Brooklyn’s Finest also touches on kidnapping, prostitution and the illegal sex trade. It doesn’t dally with them any longer than is necessary to flash out the story, however, and the majority of the focus addresses the costs (and benefits) of being involved in illegal drug distribution.
When I first saw Don Cheadle step out of his BMW in his leather Kangol, I wondered if this was now what passed for a magical transformation from actor, to Boy in The Hood. Regardless of the choice of headgear. Cheadle actually did convince almost from the outset. He is no Ice T, it should be said. He is believable, but nowhere near as cool, or prone to bursts of apparently mindless acts of violence. If I have a quibble with his performance, it is only that you wonder if he portrayed Tango as being quite as extroverted as the character needed to be to make him credible.
Gere too, on first spot, seemed out of place as the tired cop on the verge of retirement. Following him around, however, allowed to us understand the grip he had on his character and he did remarkably well with Eddie, given the preconceptions Gere will have had to deal with from an audience more used to seeing him playing romantic leads. The casting department clearly had a quick look at ‘Unfaithful’ (another Edward) and decided that he just might be able to pull it off, which I am glad to say he did.
The shining light in this galaxy of bright stars had to be Ethan Hawke. His performance of Sal seems to have physically wrung him out. So much so that by the end of the film, Hawke had practically disappeared from my mind completely, and this was just Sal. This is no mean feat to achieve. Sal’s need to provide for his family is completely overwhelming and we see a man in the verge of breaking point, struggling with an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other. The opening scene with D’Onofrio sets up the story arc nicely when we are treated to a philosophical argument based around what is right and wrong and how the two can intermingle, become confused and even be turned on their heads. And so was the story of Sal in a nutshell.
