ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

seymourblack-1 The extraordinary pressures confronted by three very different NYPD officers provide the basis for this hard-hitting cop drama which, despite covering familiar ground, does a good job of making its audience think about what's asked of these men, the value of their work to society and the poor ways in which they're rewarded. Their individual stories are skilfully interwoven in a way that seems very natural until they all eventually meet up in the movie's highly dramatic climax.Veteran beat cop Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is just trying to get through his last week before retirement in the most uneventful way possible. He's depressed, burnt-out and suicidal having been broken by everything he's had to deal with over his 22-year career and his lack of enthusiasm for his work isn't understood or appreciated by the rookies who he's been instructed to mentor in one of Brooklyn's most challenging neighbourhoods. He's become used to the lack of respect that he gets from his colleagues and the only breaks he gets from his misery are when he hits the bottle or when he visits his good-natured hooker called Chantel (Shannon Kane).Drug squad detective Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) is frustrated by not being paid enough to support his wife and family despite the fact that he works hard in an extremely dangerous job. He's desperate to move out of his current mould-infested accommodation as it will soon become too small for his growing family and is anxious about the effect that the mould is having on the health of his asthmatic wife and one of their children. For some time, Sal has been stealing money he recovers during the drug raids he leads, but the fact that even this doesn't provide him with enough to make his first payment on a new home, drives him into even more criminality. Despite being a Catholic who's devoted to his faith, he habitually rationalises what he does because it's for the benefit of his family.Detective Tango Butler (Don Cheadle) is an undercover cop who has, for some considerable time, been posing as a drug dealer in a large-scale operation. He's close to cracking under the pressure of what he's doing because he's starting to feel more loyalty to the people he lives and works with rather than his superior officers who regularly promise him a promotion that repeatedly fails to materialise. His torment is then made even worse when he's instructed to set up drug kingpin Caz Phillips (Wesley Snipes). This is because Tango can't bring himself to betray his friend who'd previously saved his life but also, he knows that if he doesn't, he'll have no chance of promotion or escaping his current, increasingly unbearable circumstances.The ways in which these three men try to deal with their problems at the same time as confronting the day to day dangers of their work, makes this a very intense, gritty and tragic drama which shows how easy it can be to lose sight of the lines between right and wrong. This is essentially a character-driven piece and as such, benefits hugely from having a terrific cast of actors on board. Gere, Hawke and Cheadle are all excellent as they depict the anguish that their characters go through and Wesley Snipes' contribution is also very memorable.

med_1978 There are so many clichés in this thriller, which somewhat overshadows some fine performances.Don Cheadle plays the cop undercover who feels a strong allegiance to a drug dealer (Wesley Snipes) that saved his life. He is trying to get out of the game, due to what it has cost him in terms of his family. He wants to make detective first grade, but he has to betray his friend in order to attain the life he wants.Ethan Hawke plays a cop who is breaking the law in order and taking money from drugs raids in order to save up to buy a house for sick wife & his growing family.Richard Gere play a burnt out cop with only a week left to retirement. He's seeing a prostitute whom he eventually falls for and drinking a lot. He is forced to take on a rookie partner due to a new training programme brought in. He tells his seniors he doesn't want this that he is not someone to look up to and a role model for the younger officers but they tell him its a new programme and he fits the requirements due to his experience.

Lizzy Croft David Ayer probably wishes he wrote this movie instead of going on to do butcher an amazing James Elroy story and turn it into the painfully interesting Street Kings.Brooklyn's Finest is dark, gritty and brutal. The opening scene is the biggest indication. You get character development, chatting and not going into plot and what is going to happen next and then you get a bullet through the skull. This shows you what you're in for. Story with violence driving it.The three main cops (Gere, Hawke, and Cheadle) are vastly different from each other. Gere plays a veteran pushing retirement who drinks away his past and only adds to his pain and has a vice that would he perfect for the vice squad. Hawke plays a very Denzel- in-Training Day-like character, the major difference is that Hawke's character rationalizes his actions as a means to better his family life. Cheadle is probably the least corrupt of the three and is the character with the larger moral conflict. The three do not ever work together once throughout the film and their paths cross at multiple occasions but mainly in the finale.Wesley Snipes is amazing here. His character is very reminiscent of Niño from New Jack City, but much more grounded and less neo-noir. Wesley makes a very good bad guy and the way he stares at characters commands fear and respect. Ellen Barkin in a small role is very much an amazing ice queen who isn't afraid to tell you to your face she will blackmail you as she is in bed with you.Antoine Fuqua had amazing success with Training Day and since has been really been receiving underrated praise for his direction. Tears of the Sun and Shooter were films that I enjoyed fully. His style is almost homage like. Crane shots, medium shots, very little tracking, and cut-backs. It works because it helps tell the story and show reactions. Fuqua has an amazing talent for using brutal violence and not being shy about it. Bullets penetrate and exit a body with blood spurting out, but it isn't to a "shock value" effect as much as just to emphasize the brutality of the story.Story-wise the "separate stories that finally intersect" is used well here as these are three unique characters with their own unique story. The ending is somewhat shocking and predictable, but it leaves you satisfied. If I may be so bold, it is almost a commentary for racial tension that many New Yorkers exists within the NYPD and the racism that is very much there as well.Unlike Street Kings, Brooklyn's Finest doesn't type cast nor does it miscast it's actors. Everyone plays their roles perfectly, and Richard Gere gives his darkest performance ever.If you enjoyed Training Day and wanted more, this is for you.

xxxmetal I watched this and "Shooter" recently.Both are junk. Don't waste your time with either. At some point, excellent actors and actresses are going to realize that they need to stay away from Fuqua projects. Fuqua and M.Knight Shyamalan should start a club titled, "What The Heck Happened To Us, We Came Out Of The Box On Fire, And Now Make Terrible Movies."What happened to these guys? Did both peak way too early, did both get way too lucky at the start? Producers - please stop giving these guys projects.