“Brooklyn’s Finest” Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Gabrielle Corrado

Antoine Fuqua, the director of “Training Day," debuted his latest film “Brooklyn’s Finest” at Sundance last year to mediocre reviews. The film, set in some of the roughest neigborhoods of Brooklyn, chronicles the on-duty and off-duty trials and tribulations of three police officers. The action-packed trailer offers a brief but penetrating look into the lives of three officers who appear different at first glance but are decidedly unified in their devil-may-care attitudes. But despite the intense trailer and an all-star cast featuring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, Wesley Snipes, and Ethan Hawke, can all of that action actually translate into a compelling film, or will audiences be left feeling that the film falls short of Fuqua’s finest?

Maybe so. Perhaps part of the reason that the trailer falls short of expectations is the fact that the officers (played by Gere, Hawke, and Cheadle) seemed doomed from the start. In the span of less than three minutes, we watch a raggedy-looking Ethan Hawke struggle to support his pregnant wife, Cheadle implicate himself in shady business deals, and a downtrodden Gere wearily respond “Not really,” after being asked if he wants to do anything useful. Aftert watching this, I have to wonder how any of these men, all of whom practically reek of failure and desperation, ever became cops in the first place, let alone earned the title of “Brooklyn’s Finest.”

Despite such extreme character flaws, it’s tough to deny that at the very least, the movie looks exciting--really exciting, especially with its numerous shootings, drug busts and high speed car chases. That said, I believe that fans of the actors in the film and fans of Fuqua’s work will likely see the film, but if the trailer is any indication, I’m doubtful that they will be particularly moved by the story.

View the trailer for "Brooklyn's Finest" below. Thoughts?