Brooklyn's Finest

Unfolding during one hectic week, Brooklyn's Finest follows three conflicted, corrupt cops who turn a blind eye to crime, rip off drug dealers, and befriend the gangs who are ostensibly running the neighborhood. Director Antoine Fuqua interweaves the separate stories into a single morality tale (the archetypal protagonists cross paths but never interact until the chaotic conclusion). Boozing, burnt-out Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is a veteran patrolman with suicidal tendencies and a prostitute girlfriend (Shannon Kane). With only one week left before he can claim his pension and retire to a fishing cabin in Connecticut, Eddie grimly shepherds new recruits. Clarence “Tango” Butler (Don Cheadle) has been undercover for so long that he actually protects Caz (Wesley Snipes), the charismatic drug czar he's supposed to arrest so he can be promoted to detective. And Sal Procida (Ethan Hawke) is an edgy narcotics cop whose moral fiber is strained under the financial pressure to provide for his five children and wife, Angela (Lili Taylor), who is pregnant with twins and prone to asthma attacks. Ultimately, the NYPD targets a notoriously crime-ridden housing project and all three officers are faced with compromising, life-changing choices. Despite Fuqua's earlier success with the similarly-themed Training Day, this bleak, brutal, and cliché-ridden potboiler about crossing the thin blue line falls short. Optional. [Note: Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Antoine Fuqua, deleted scenes (31 min.), “Three Cops and a Dealer” character profiles (8 min.), and the production featurettes “Chaos & Conflict: The Life of a New York Cop” (7 min.), “An Eye for Detail” (7 min.), “Boyz N the Real Hood” (6 min.), and “From the MTA to the WGA” (5 min.), as well as a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an uneven drama.] (S. Granger)