Brooklyn Rules

The script is strong, the action bloody, and overall Brooklyn Rules is a Strong movie.  This story pack a wallop and as it examines how far friendship and loyalty really reach.

Unfortunately, some of the casting left me as cold body in a shallow Brooklyn grave.  In particular , Freddie Prinze Jr. is a little hard to swallow in his role.  He is supposed to be the rough kid from Brooklyn who is trying to fit in at Columbia university, while in truth it felt the other way around.  Freddie looked and felt much more comfortable on screen with the rich partying college kids than he did trying to spit out obscenities with the seasoned Brooklynites.  Both he and Mena Suvari come across the screen as out of place Hollywood actors in an otherwise incredibly well cast film.  Alec Baldwin on the other hand, manages to blend in well and delivers a strong performance.  Look to the supporting cast for great performances in their small roles.  These performances are the gems of this movie.

If you can get past the standard Hollywood casting of Prinze and Suvari, this film is worth a trip to the theater.  The brutality and raw edge to most of the film gives it an authentic feel and will leave you squirming in your seat.  I just wish Hollywood would stop trying at all cost to cast stars into every film and would instead focus on finding the right actor for each job.