Brooklyn Rules

If director Michael Corrente's Brooklyn Rules features character types, plot situations, and a general ambiance reminiscent of The Sopranos, it may be because this film is a semiautobiographical tale written by Terence Winter, who scripted some of the famed HBO series' best episodes. Set in Brooklyn during the mid-1980s, the story is narrated by Michael (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), a glib charmer who scams his way into Columbia University's law school. His two best friends are Carmine (Scott Caan), a gangster wannabe, and Bobby (Jerry Ferrara), who longs for a simple life of a career at the post office and marrying his adoring fiancée. When Carmine begins working for Caesar (Alec Baldwin), a much-feared neighborhood mob boss, his two friends reluctantly tag along and quickly find themselves embroiled in a dangerous situation. The writing is excellent (Winter's characters are sharply drawn and the dialogue is crisp) and the acting is generally solid, with Baldwin and Caan delivering standout performances (Prinze isn't always convincing, and his character's budding romance with the society deb played by Mena Suvari seems superfluous). On balance, however, this mob drama is reasonably entertaining. Recommended. (E. Hulse)