Rated R – 2h3 -

At the beginning of Brooklyn’s Finest, we have a snitch talking to a dirty undercover cop about truth and justice. He talks about how even the law recognizes that in some cases, committing a crime can be forgiven if it’s done for a greater good. Think of the man who steals bread to feed his starving family. That’s the idea that Brooklyn’s Finest tries to convey.

The film features three unconnected New York Police officers, who paths unknowingly cross. Tango (Don Cheadle), a deep undercover drug agent with heavy underworld connections. Eddie (Richard Gere) is just a few days from retirement and Sal (Ethan Hawke) is the drug raid cop in need of money in order to support his family.

All three are on the edge, seemingly facing situations that are more than they can handle. You don’t get the feeling that things are going to work out well for them either.

This is a solid trio of actors. They all make their case that life fighting crime can be gritty, unrewarding and takes a serious personal strain on the officer. Corruption is a slippery slope.

The thing is, we’ve seen this all before and the story gets lost in the cliché of it all.

Ethan Hawke was the notable one here. His character Sal busts up drug houses for a living. He sees untold amounts of drug money piled up like laundry, tempting him on a daily basis. Sal is also a father of several kids, has twins on the way and a wife that is ill from mold in their decrepit house. He’s the most justified for thinking about stealing the bread, and he’s the most conflicted about his strife.

Outside of Sal’s story, the film falls short of the thrilling expectations you desire from this level of acting skill.