Gang slang over the top in Brooklyn’s Finest

Brooklyn's Finest

Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes, and Ethan Hawke
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If you'd like to someday tour Brooklyn, do not watch this movie. The dark alleys, whizzing bullets, and never-ending police car sirens are far from what you'd find in a guidebook from Chapters.

However, for those fascinated with fast-paced action and plot lines that alternate — literally — at the speed of a bullet, then this movie is a must-see. The cinematography is quite original from the very start; we don't see the speaking characters but can hear them talking for a solid minute and a half. For an action movie that heavily relies on graphics, this choice was very deliberate and effective in building tension. Perhaps it is right then, when we know nothing of the characters, that the audience is better off.

As soon as the three major plot lines are somewhat explained, mob lingo really starts hitting the audience making the tension and confusion rise. All three main characters (Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle) have some major problems to deal with, and as the lengthy film runs, more problems are added to these. The degree of hopelessness in all of their situations — whether they be governed by internal issues, manipulating superiors, or the organized crime — is overwhelming at times. Don't be surprised if you hear fellow audience members utter in disbelief or disdain during certain scenes. Stellar performances by this cast evoke such strong sentimentality from even the most macho man in the theatre.

"I don't want God's forgiveness, I want his help," Sal (Hawke) almost spits out in the confession booth. It's hard not to admit that your heart is crying for him and his family. Hawke really delivers a powerful performance. His attitude towards the mob really makes us wonder who's more corrupt. Our opinion of Sal is also greatly complicated by his religious leanings — he even has Jesus and Mother Mary on his pillow cases. All of the main characters seem to deflect criticism. They just want their lives back, and will stop at nothing to get it.

Tango (Cheadle) goes through a journey that seems to be most compromising with his beliefs. He yearns to gain a well-deserved promotion that will earn him a possible chance to be with his wife, yet he doesn't want to betray Caz (Wesley Snipes), who he befriended after Caz saved his life. Try as he may, the situation goes beyond his control and the only explanation that is offered comes in the form of more mob lingo from Ellen Barkin's character that will likely be over the heads of half of the theatre-going population. I was concerned at this lack of understanding because the vocabulary was limited, to say the least. There was so much noise most of the time that half of the words were lost anyway.

Nevertheless, the obvious drama held my attention closely. Eddie (Gere) plays a retiring cop that had obviously failed at doing anything significant with his life. When you fall in love with a prostitute that you've been seeing for the past three years, it's a sure sign you're a sex-crazed lonely old man. By the last 20 minutes of the film, Eddie decides that he wants to feel fulfilled by saving a sex trafficking victim before retiring.

Everyone wants to be a hero in this film, yet no one will take advice or help from anyone. Brooklyn's Finest bluntly tells us that "these streets have an expiration date" for everyone.