Brooklyn’s Finest: Better than its lack of studio support and marketing would have you believe, this is a very busy picture about three different cops working the beat in the seedier parts of Brooklyn: one on the verge of retirement but with a lackluster career spent mostly covering his own rear, one undercover so long he has a hard time returning to normalcy or walking away from his friendship with a just-released convict, and one looking to score extra cash, even if it means murdering crooks to do it. The talent pool is very deep here - Richard Gere (nicely against type), Wesley Snipes (refreshing to see him in something that wasn‘t direct to DVD), Don Cheadle, and Ethan Hawke, along with Brian F. O‘Byrne, Will Patton, and Ellen Barkin in support. So lots of story tangents here to follow through on, lots of actors to feature. Antoine Fuqua directed. Almost too much going on here, which explains its over-length (it’s longer than 2 hours), and lacks some of the dramatic notes that would push this over the top from good to great picture. Still probably the best “cops are crooks” picture to come along since “Training Day”. Woodchuck sez, “Worth a look.”
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