The other side of police work

Brooklyn's Finest (2009)

It's not easy being a cop, especially in Brooklyn where pretty much everyone hates you for different reasons. This is a story of three cops in different duties and very different backgrounds. But they all have one thing in common, they are quite tired of their job and the state the city and the legal system is. One is a washed out old cop only a week away from retirement who tries to keep out of the action as much as possible, mostly just minding his own business. Another one is an undercover cop inside the drug gangs of the city trying to get out of it. The third is a DEA agent doing drug house busts, fighting for his own morales and religion as he decides to take some drug money to get his family out of their mold infested house. They all seem to be heading to the same destiny and it doesn't look happy. The story is quite good with tons of depth to offer, but unfortunately it stays a bit superficial most of the time. The most interesting story of them all and which gives the most depth is the one with the DEA agent, played very well by Ethan Hawke. Also a huge plus for casting Lili Taylor as his wife. She actually looks like a house mom with three kids and not some pretty young girl cast there just because of her sexy looks. Gives a very nice realism and she also does a solid job at the part. Another good story is that of the old cop waiting for retirement, played by Richard Gere. The man has nothing to look forward except the whiskey bottle and the hour of pleasure the local hooker provides. Very hopeless tale that would have offered so much more than what is portrayed now. First of all Richard Gere is the wrong guy for the part, couldn't be much further away from a drunk old cop who has to resort to the services of a hooker to keep himself going. So a total miss on that part which is a shame as the role offered so much more than what Gere can give out. The third story is quite a common one and Don Cheadle does his best with the shallow part. So there's a lot of good in the movie but also quite a bit of bad parts. The ending when the shit hits the fan feels a bit rushed at parts after the slowly building start. A decent drama none the less but nothing to rave about either.
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