This story could have happened anywhere in the United States.
Before I saw the film, I didn’t even know that Antoine Fuqua directed it. And then, having studied the director’s work, his personality (he is black), I was not surprised that he made this film, and shot quite well.
This is a great story that deserves your attention. Why is she awesome? Here's the next one.
1) The film shows the cops on three sides (or, more precisely, on 7 or more at once). A cop who retires in 7 days, his new partner, a cop with his family looking for money for a new house, his partner, his colleagues, the SWAT team, an undercover cop who has been working for so many years, his coordinator and another cop (I won’t spoil it). Different people, different ages, different interests. How do they live and what do they do? Look at this.
2) The plot may not capture much at first, but then I want to watch, I want to watch what will happen next. Will everyone achieve their goal or not? See for yourself.
(3) This movie has everything. In 140 minutes, there are episodes in which there are cop bosses, street gangs and young bandits (generals) who want to lead a gang or create their own. After watching the series 'Narco' and after reading the story, you understand how young black boys suddenly got money for drugs, weapons, girls, game consoles and TVs. But notice how they lived in old, unkempt apartments, with a lot of garbage and dirt, and live. I think this is what the director and the cameraman wanted to convey.
(4) The landscapes are great. This is an important part of the picture. I will always remember the episode in which the main characters drive past a burning police car and standing next to special forces fighters in full uniform. And a rookie cop face. Yeah, baby. This is America.
(5) Maybe the film is similar to other TV series, films, such as 'Southland', '911', ' Training Day' and others. But this movie shows just about everything there is to a cop's life. And life is not shown from the best side, or rather ordinary. Lots of problems, night watches, special operations, patrols. So it's dull, it's gloomy. Motivates only the salary and the earliest pension, which still need to live.
This story could have happened anywhere in the United States. Because all over the country there are cities, there are gangs, there are drugs and weapons, and young teenagers who are brutalized by such wealth. And it doesn't matter if it's black, white, Asian or Mexican, or other immigrants. It doesn’t matter what city or state. Everywhere there is an old cop (Richard Gere), corrupt (but what that word means, maybe just ' a cop who needs money') Ethan Hawke and undercover (as in the movie The Departed) police officer Don Cheadle.
How is history instructive? It’s probably because cops aren’t as easy as they seem, and that’s why they get paid a lot (at least now, in 2021). And yes, for each of your joints, you will pay a price.
A movie that is worth watching at least once.
In 2002, the legendary criminal drama about police arbitrariness, which became a real icon of the genre, was released - a speech, of course, about ' Training Day', the success of which Antoine Fuqua decided to repeat by shooting a kind of freestyle sequel, ' Brooklyn police officers' (Brooklyn's Finest, 2009), in which the stars of his first success, Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, were to meet again in one frame.
However, what was planned could not be implemented. Washington declined the role, and the film itself was later quite coldly received by critics. And from the first viewing, it really does not remember much and like, but it is still difficult to deny that the movie turned out to be still high-quality and atmospheric, but about everything in order.
The film is quite mature and gloomy, so on the first viewing, a long time ago, it seemed boring to me. Constantly flickering plans of the panel five-story neighborhood of Brooklyn, the famous bridge, oppressive musical accompaniment - all plays into the hands of the gloomy and pessimistic story of three cops, in which we are immersed by the authors of the picture. The first is a police officer, ' an American sex worker' who dreams of quietly retiring and indulges in suicide attempts, but has long lost his taste for life, whose joy is brought only by rare encounters with a mulatto prostitute with whom he is in love. It’s a pretty heavy image that Richard Gere is expected to embody. The second is a corrupt detective looking for any opportunity to earn or steal money for the sake of his large family. It is interesting that he is exactly portrayed by the champion of justice from ' Training Day' Ethan Hawke. During the viewing, the feeling does not leave that this is his own character, spoiled by life and time and learned to play by the rules of Alonzo, becoming an even more vicious person than his mentor. Money for this guy is the limit of dreams, a fanatically pursued goal for which he will do anything. And Hawke portrays him with the same ecstasy he played Jake Hoyt with. Well, the third hero is an operative acting under the cover of a drug dealer Tango, and seems to have forgotten whose side he is on. It would be interesting to see Denzel Washington in this role, but Don Cheadle didn’t do it well. A stylishly dressed thug riding a tinted BMW five who enjoys authority both in the gang and among law enforcement colleagues is a rather heavy and deep image of a man torn between duty and friendly ties. The role is quite dramatic, and suggests an actor of the caliber of Washington or Mahershala Ali, but a regular of the Marvel universe with the image of a confused cop copes with dignity. Wesley Snipes makes him worthy (but only as another famous face in the frame) company, but the stars from the sky are not enough. However, Snipes has always been a mediocre actor, although I must give him credit, in a duet with Cheadle looks good.
The plot of the film is a kind of almanac of the three stories of the above-mentioned heroes who will collide at a common climax. All three stories form a single tape, which focuses mainly on two issues: police brutality and racism, which now have a frightening relevance. Moreover, the theme of racism becomes a kind of background and entourage, through the prism of which the narrative is conducted. The murder of a young African-American student by a cop becomes a third-rate plot interspersion, which, nevertheless, plays a huge role in the plot. Judge for yourself: against the background of the murder, conflicts arise between black youth and the police, and even the blackest police officer infiltrated into one of the Brooklyn gangs, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay alive, because his own colleagues become the first in the queue to shoot him. I am silent about the show scene where Hawke’s character tries to rob another African-American slut. Through the eyes of the character Gere, we see how this problem can painfully affect the patrol officers themselves, and on the example of Cheadle we see a hostage of the stereotypes of law enforcement officers about black guys on the streets of Brooklyn, who a priori pose a danger due to the color of their skin. This issue is most acutely touched upon in the finale of the film, when the development of the storyline of the hero Don Cheadle reaches the culmination of its development. Apparently, the problem that has become terribly urgent today was a sick callus for the black director Antoine Fuqua.
Separately, I want to praise the cameraman and costume artists. Visually, the film is quite beautiful, very rich and juicy, and at the same time the gloomy plans of the Brooklyn slums and sleeping areas please the eye (I am generally silent about the famous bridge). Pretty stylish looks hung with gold chains Don Cheadle in a leather cap, snow-white shirts and camouflage pants at the wheel of a luxury BMW sedan. Hawke is not at all like his naive boy from ' Training Day' and even with his appearance creates an image of a cop who can not be trusted.
Each of the characters is at the bottom, from which he is looking for a way out throughout the action of the picture. A gloomy future and an endless darkness without a single ray of hope are stubbornly waiting for the heroes, as this oppressive atmosphere of the criminal world and despair in which all the actors are immersed always screams. And the actors involved in the project portray this despair and oppression quite skillfully. Alas, more busy artists will not be able to show, so a new ' Training day' unfortunately, you can not expect.
As a result 'Brooklyn police officers' turned out to be quite a strong criminal drama, which is not even ashamed to review a couple of times.
A criminal thriller with elements of drama from Antoine Fuqua about several police officers is, perhaps, a certain retreat of the director from the films of spectacular and bright. Compared to the same “Training Day”, “The Fall of Olympus”, “The Left”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “The Strelkom” and “The Great Equalizer”, “Brooklyn police officers” look quite pale. But. That doesn’t mean the movie is bad. Not at all. Just the accents here are placed differently and at the head of the corner is not entertainment, but the human factor.
Now a film about the same spirit has surfaced in memory - Pride and Glory, in which Colin Farrell, Edward Norton and John Voight played. This movie also tells about the difficult everyday life of police officers, but at the same time pays much attention to their families, so to speak, the reverse side of the work of a cop. In this aspect, I can quite confidently put “Pride and Glory” and “Brooklyn Policemen” with a film from the mid-90s – “Policemen” with Stallone, Harvey Keitel and Robert Patrick. All these three films are strong dramas about cops.
The picture of Fuqua is the story of three absolutely unrelated police officers, each of whom goes his own way in service.
Eddie (Richard Gere) is a rather peace-loving cop who will first try to resolve the conflict with persuasion, and weapons will put into action at the last minute. He has a few days to retire and to climb on the horn in the last week of service, of course, he does not want categorically.
Tango (Don Cheadle) is an undercover police officer who has long since become part of the drug mafia, and therefore the line between law and lawlessness is becoming less clear for him. In this regard, he is like air at the depth of a scuba diver, it is necessary to escape from the gang surroundings and find the old life, calm and measured.
Saul (Ethan Hawke) is a corrupt cop who became so not from the best of life, but from need. At any opportunity, he seeks to enrich himself at the expense of drug money, and driven to despair decides on a critical act, the consequences of which can hurt the nose.
Three people. Three different fates. One night with a dramatic ending. I strongly disagree with those who criticize this film. Yes, it is not too spectacular, but the criminal dramas, which are "Brooklyn police" and are not sharpened for entertainment, they demonstrate the personal tragedies of all the participants in the picture. If you characterize this film, you can say that it is as gray as Brooklyn itself.
For the period since the beginning of the film, when the director introduces the viewer to the main characters, each of them will give up their own principles and go against their beliefs. This is the key feature of the “Brooklyn police”, telling that under certain circumstances, anyone can step on the throat of his own song and make an act based on the circumstances.
But look at you. I do not impose my opinion on anyone.
This film will never go down in the history of cinema as original or memorable for even a few days. No, there's nothing frank, fresh or witty.
But, nevertheless, the film was done well. Because there are some good actors here. Who did well in their roles, although the roles themselves turned out to be very mediocre.
If you divide the roles by characters, then perhaps the most interesting was the performance of Richard Gere. Because his hero was the most calm and balanced. The heroes of Cheadle and Hawke somehow pulled something out of themselves all the time, trying to portray the severity of situations. In some places, it’s plausible, but when we are so clearly shown an emotion, you, as a viewer, start to get tired.
What did the creators of the picture want to emphasize? This follows from the description: 3 allegedly different policemen, not related to each other in any way, but at the end of their fate are intertwined in one final episode. We have seen this before and later, in a much better performance.
Why is the execution of the idea affected in this case?
That's the biggest omission, I think. The 3 cops weren't so different and different from each other. Yeah, one white, one black, one old. The first in the first place cash, the second code of honor, the third wants to quickly resign. Well, yes, you can stretch out recognition: they are different according to these criteria. But they have only one thing in their hearts, and each one of them sins in his own way, and each one does good while performing. And if they do, they will do it, and they will do it. On this basis, no one from the Trinity aroused any deep sympathy. Absolutely.
The second major failure is that final and binding episode. I won’t spoil it, but I will say this: it’s by the ears.
The rest of the film, again, is not bad. I’m not a fan of “police drama” and I don’t think I’ve spent more than two hours watching it in vain. See, as I do, for the lack of useful new products.
Fighter is a very complex and multifaceted genre, where the plot, the staging of fights, the play of actors is important for assessing the quality of this film. I watched this film because of my strong love for police-themed films, but unfortunately I lost it.
Let me tell you a little bit about the main components of this film:
1) Play of actors
Richard Gere plays an experienced cop who doesn’t know what he wants out of life. Gere is one of those actors who play consistently and expect less or more from him. If you take his character, this character has the smallest reserve of values than the characters of Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. You will find it at the end or after watching the movie.
So Hawke plays a corrupt cop who chooses a "dirty method" and uses his status as financial gain. He's closed because of his personal problems. He wants to provide for his family and moral ideals struggle with his duty as a police officer. So Hawke is a middle-level actor for me, unfortunately, he did not conquer me in other films, in particular in the film: "Attack on the 13th Precinct", which has a very competent plot, but looking at the actor, you immediately remember Konstantin Stanislavsky, who said: "I don't believe!". In this case, seeing Hawke in a police uniform, I can't believe he's a cop, and his many fans will forgive me.
Don Cheadle plays an undercover cop who is pretty tired of it all and wants just a quiet life without falsehood and danger. He is strongly attached to the character of Wesley Snipes, who plays a criminal who, once released, wants to protect himself and not get into trouble. Don Cheadle has a great acting - for me he is something new, I am not his idol, but seeing him on the list of actors immediately expect him to play a high acting. In the film, his character showed himself to be human and chose friendship over written laws.
Wesley Snipes plays a criminal who just got out of prison and tries to stabilize his life. For Snipes fans, his role in this film is very secondary, but his character directly affects the fate of another character.
2) The plot is banal, consists of 3 puzzles, which Antoine Fuqua tried to combine into a single film. I will not say that he succeeded, but the second part of the film I watched with pleasure and in some moments even empathized with the main characters.
(3) General impression and assessment
The film turned out to be very weak and not spectacular, there are few fighting scenes for the action movie, and there are a lot of inconsistencies for the drama. The ending was a failed, unfair and ill-considered decision of the director. There is no morality in this finale, because people with good goals have to suffer. In general, it turned out to be a raw film similar to the parody of the film “Training Day”, which I find more collected and thoughtful in all aspects.
Score 3 out of 5 (2+1=31 points per Don Cheadle character)
I am so sorry that such a great cast could not make this film a masterpiece.
After watching this film, and before it a huge number of similar to him about the “dirty cops” of all times and peoples, from “Open up, police!” to... “Brooklyn police officers”, I involuntarily thought that the times of cool, “wrong”, intemperate, but “ideological” servants of the law (like Dirty Harry-Clint Eastwood) in world cinema are passing or have already passed. What is quite natural in the modern pragmatic Western bourgeois society, from which our Russian authorities have been trying to make an acceptable copy for 20 years.
What the hell are idealists in epaulettes and badges, like Gere’s partner, who dies on the second mission (it wasn’t some bullet that killed him, but the rotten social system itself took him out of sight)! They're just headaches and problems. But a cop suitable and convenient for the existing consumer system (Gear) safely passes all passions, despite some “movements” of conscience, remains alive and certainly will retire. Well, the other two cops concerned about their “opposite” problems are just extreme deviations from the ideal. And over all of them blossoms in all its bitchy and super-cynical glory boss "undercover nigger", without gratuitously telling him that he made a career (as a racehorse!) and graciously producing it even in sergeants (here my hand instinctively began to look for something heavy).
Here is such a “behind the boom” of law enforcement (for sure, this film, very successful and box office, is not sucked out of a rubber baton!). And we, the Russians, are surprised by the many domestic “dirty cops” and “werewolves in uniforms.” If you want everything to be like them, you will get the necessary “addition”!
7 out of 10
It is not the act that makes you a criminal, but the color of your skin.
Another saga about Brooklyn, "black quarters", "niggers" and other things, but with great meaning and cruel truthfulness. One can endlessly talk about the rightness of one or the other, but the result is one - whites go first!
Traditionally, I'll turn to actors. Everything is great here, except for one, Richard Gere. Why is that? Yes, I will not hide that this actor is antipathetic to me and I roughly see him as talentless. It is said loudly, even perhaps someone will offend, sorry, purely personal opinion. But in this film, I think Richard Gere just got into his role. He's good at playing the "white cop", the cowardly.
Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. Perhaps they are geniuses, especially when it comes to films of this type.
The director did his job perfectly. Antoine Fuqua is not a simple director, just watch his other films. If you are looking for something similar to this film, I advise you to watch "Training day".
The film is a little about something else, there is a story, there is a denouement from which I personally sat in a stupor in not understanding the possibility of certain actions, and the surprised effect of surprise, but in parallel the life of all the characters, the whole quarter, the city is told and the general gamma of mood is well conveyed.
This film, if anything could ruin it, is probably the duration. Two hours is too long for a movie like this. 90-110 minutes just right.
For fans of the genre or those who are looking for something similar, then perhaps you are on the right path. Don’t miss this movie, it’s very good, strong, but not special.
Given the tightness and some other minor aspects, another assessment is difficult to put.
8 out of 10