'Finest' might be a bit of an exaggeration

By Andy Tybout / Staff Writer

published: Thu, 4 Mar, 2010

“Brooklyn’s Finest”

Overture Films

Dir: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes

C+

 

Here’s a foolproof formula for a crime drama — lots of shooting, lots of sex and lots of deaths in gritty projects amid piles of money.

At least that’s what “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua must have thought when he made “Brooklyn’s Finest,” an obtuse, directionless 140-minute quagmire.

The story is an ungraceful meshing of crime narratives: a crooked cop (Ethan Hawke at his most unhinged) who steals drug money to pay for his new home, a wearied, straight-edged cop (Richard Gere) who’s simply counting the days until retirement and a narc (Don Cheadle) who’s been undercover for far too long.

Their stories are different only in the superficial sense — each character hails from a different background. In the end, however, they’re all prone to the same unexpected bouts of violence. Ethan Hawke grows increasingly ruthless in his pursuit of fast cash. Richard Gere becomes suddenly intolerant of street cruelty. Cheadle finds himself increasingly prone to gangster conceptions of justice. Their stories eventually pool (sort of) in a climax as violent as it is convoluted: a weak attempt to associate all three characters in a single apartment building.

But it’s not like the movie immediately reeks of camp. The dialogue, particularly in the opening scene, is sharp, and the setup seems promising. The acting, especially from Don Cheadle and the always-frantic Ethan Hawke, pulls more than its own weight. It’s only around the middle of the movie, when the threads of narrative remain unconnected, that the viewer begins to realize “Brooklyn’s Finest” doesn’t know what it’s doing. In short, it’s the plot that fails the film. 

The screenplay, penned by former subway worker Michael C. Martin, could have been a breakthrough on par with Diablo Cody’s “Juno.” But the arc of the story, the coherent narrative blueprint that justifies the action, remains elusive.

With smarter, preferably aggressive revision, the movie could have been on par with “Training Day.” For example, if “Brooklyn’s Finest” revolved around only one protagonist, it would be both more powerful and more focused. 

The individual characters are compelling enough, and their stories are sufficiently embedded in the Brooklyn environment that they could probably stand on their own. Maybe then, real meaning could be wrung from this otherwise bloated film.

But as it is, “Brooklyn’s Finest” is a mediocre crime drama striving to emulate great crime dramas. The shootouts are there, the psychological deterioration is there and the street philosophy is there. But it’s not a cohesive marriage. The film delves into the trappings of the genre without an angle, an idea. 

 “Brooklyn’s Finest” is a movie to see if you enjoy only the most obvious aspects of the genre — the brutality without the intelligence. But you’ll walk away no more enlightened than you will from playing “Grand Theft Auto.” For what’s it’s worth, “The Departed” is available to rent for less than the price of a movie ticket.