Antoine Fuqua, the director of the box office hit, “Training Day,” starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, has directed yet another film about the life of an officer and the problems faced in the corrupt police system.
“Brooklyn’s Finest” is about three NYPD officers followed throughout a course of a week. Tango, played by Don Cheadle, is an undercover cop who has grown tired of his second life. During the time of his undercover operation, he feels the need to protect former kingpin drug dealer Caz, played by Wesley Snipes. Sal, played by Ethan Hawke, is a narcotics officer who struggles with keeping his faith and doing the right thing. Temptation plays a major role in the officer’s life as he makes great effort to move his pregnant wife and children out of their mold infested home. Eddie, a soon-to-be retired officer is played by Richard Gere. He fights to keep his sanity and attempts suicide although he has seven days left until his retirement. In the end, all three officers are faced with difficult choices, which in turn bring them together.
Overall the film was captivating as well as suspenseful. Although the plot is a bit cliché, Fuqua’s attempt to bring different lives together is applauded. Yet trying to follow three different lives can be a bit difficult to follow. He tried to bring light to the hardships and corrupt politics that officers undergo, but he failed to grasp the viewer’s attention with the constant “jump” between the three officers’ lives. Like Denzel Washington in “Training Day,” the actors were taken out of their typical movie roles. Fuqua’s ability to challenge his actors shows in the majority of his films. “Brooklyn’s Finest” should have a good turnout; the film captures the term good cop, bad cop in a different light.