Thursday, September 16, 2010

Interest Soars For The Movie Brookylns Finest

By Gabriel Bush

Brookylns Finest was released March 2010, but has become a fan favorite due to its all-star cast, intriguing story line, and direction by Antoine Fugua. The story is based on the personal experiences of writer Michael C. Martin which focuses on the violent and rough neighborhoods watched over by the 65th precinct of the New York Police Department. The story unfolds as three veteran police officers survive the daily demands of life on the streets only to wind up together on a single night in the Van Dyke Housing Projects in Brooklyn.

Stars Richard Gere, Wesley Snipes, Ethan Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ellen Barkin, Jesse Williams, and Don Cheadle lead the cast through the trials and tribulations of daily life on the streets. Ethan Hawke (playing Detective Salvatore "Sal" Procida), Richard Gere (playing Officer Eddie Dugan), and Don Cheadle (playing Detective Clarence "Tango" Butler) work as the three principle police officers who must survive nightly terrors while attempting to curb the area's drug trade.

The film was shot around the New York area including Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the city itself which allows viewers to see the complexity of the area which makes up an urban center of this magnitude. Action-packed sequences keep viewers on the edge of their seats and are intertwined, and complicate by, the personal lives of the three key players. In one of the first scenes, two men talking in a car results in the death and robbery of one only to find out that the shooter was a cop.

For many in the law enforcement field there is a thin line between what is right and what is wrong and this is often complicated by problems unfolding in their personal lives. Money problems, near retirement, undercover work, and much more affects the decisions made on a daily basis and often creates the automatic responses many police officers rely upon to survive. The development of the story line in this film comes to a neat conclusion, although unexpected, when the three key players wind up in the same location at the same time for very different reasons.

Michale Martin grew up in the Brooklyn area where the story is based. Therefore, much of what is seen in the film is a direct reflection of personal experiences. This provides viewers with the "reality" aspect so popular today. Although the movie was made on a modest budget, the star-quality cast agreed to lesser pay in order to see it completed as it carries an important message about the challenges police officers working in this are face.

The film was first viewed at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 as well as the Venice Film Festival later that year before it was picked up by Overture Films for circulation. It has been met with mixed reviews by critics and audiences alike, so far, but has been praised for the acting and character development of individual cast members. Critic reviews brought the value of the film into question, but audiences throughout the world seem to disagree.

Opening in the #2 position in March 2010 behind Alice in Wonderland, it earned over $13 million dollars its first week. All told, box office sales total over $27 million in the US and $34 million internationally before it was pulled to be released on DVD. Ranking as #11 in all time greatest "Dirty Copy Movies" (1973-present), it has exceeded expectations on every level.

Brookylns Finest is currently #1 in DVD sales which indicates that the mass audience is much better than predicted. It is rated R for nudity, language, sexuality, drug content, and violence and runs a little over two hours. For those who love to live life on the streets through film, it is definitely one that should be viewed. - 40724

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