Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

With a decent cast, and an equally decent premise, I was looking forward to watching the gritty police drama Brooklyn's Finest.  And while the cast was terrific, the performances more than adequate, and my interest held, I was disappointed in the end.

Three Brooklyn police officers with three distinct situations. 

Eddie (Richard Gere) is just a week away from retirement.  He was probably a decent cop, at one point, but having seen it all over the past two decades, the man has been completely beat down.  With no personal life to speak of, no heart in the job anymore, Eddie's just counting the minutes until this job is over.

Tango (Don Cheadle) has been undercover for several years, infiltrating some of the biggest drug lords in the city.  But Tango's had enough.  He's so far "in" at this point, he's having trouble seeing his way back out again.  Appeals to his superiors for reassignment are falling on deaf ears.  Worst, they are now demanding that he set up and bust Cas (Wesley Snipes), a drug dealer who took Tango under his wing, saving his life. 

Sal (Ethan Hawke) is up to his eyeballs with financial difficulties.  A solid cop, his salary barely covers his expenses.  With five children and twins on the way, Sal is desperate.  Tired of putting his life on the line, for such small reward, Sal decides that helping himself to some of that drug-money wouldn't really be such a bad crime.

So there you have it - three cops - three desperate situations.  Directed in the same style as "Crash", we bounce around the three stories with lightning speed, yet the stories don't intersect at all until the very end. 

Along the way, we might feel sorry for some of the characters, or we might view them with disgust - it all depends on your sympathy level, and how much you believe the characters made their own situations. 

My own sympathies ran with Tango most of all.  Probably due to Cheadle's top-notch performance, I felt his frustration level rising each minute he was forced to maintain this double-life.  I can only imagine how difficult it must be - to be a cop at heart - but forced to befriend and gain the trust of the very people you are trying to bust.  Further, once Tango's life was saved by one of those guys, his loyalty would naturally shift.  In addition, we see Tango's desperate pleas to his superiors go completely unheeded as they sit back, enjoying the fruits of Tango's labor.

My sympathy level for Sal's situation was much lower.  Mostly because I felt that he caused a lot of his own problems, and because I could see plenty of other ways he could have helped his situation, without resorting to stealing.  But Sal only sees one solution, never even exploring other (legal) avenues.

Eddie's story was the weakest part of the film, in my view.  He's an older cop who has become completely jaded by this time.  To the point where he looks upon the job with disgust, and can't even gather any enthusiasm to help mentor the rookies just coming in.  The movie goes through great lengths to show us just how little life Eddie has, with his only relationship being with a hooker.  But it's not clear why Eddie's life has devolved to the point that it has.  Sure, being a cop for 20 years can't have been easy - but others manage to do it without completely losing their purpose in life, what makes Eddie the way he is?  We have no idea - the movie doesn't explain.

I enjoyed the movie, as it was never boring, and I wanted to see how the three stories would all work out.  Instinct told me there would be a collision at the end - that all three stories would intersect in some major climatic scene.  And sure enough, there was an intersection.  But I would hardly call the ending "climatic".  In fact, the ending was a letdown.  It just didn't pack the punch I was hoping for.  With over two hours invested in the movie, I wanted a bigger payoff than I was given.

With terrific performances, this movie will appeal to those who enjoy gritty police-dramas.  But it won't appeal to everybody.  It's rated R for a reason.  The language is over-the-top.  So is the violence.  The body count is huge, and there's some sex.  In other words, this one is for adults, only.  It's just a shame that an otherwise fine movie had a letdown ending.

Recommended: Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age