Brooklyn Rules

This film was written by Terence Winter, one of the driving forces behind the Sopranos TV series and, given the reputation of that show (which I have to admit to never having seen), I was quite surprised by the routine nature of this film. Freddie Prinze Jr. finds himself out of his depth as Michael, a Brooklyn kid half-scamming his way through law school while trying to avoid becoming sucked into the mob life so adored by Carmine (Scott Caan), one of his closest friends.

Much of the problem lies with the fact that everything that happens here we have seen before in better, more original gangster flicks. The story is OK, but the script rarely rises above the pedestrian and, despite some rather clumsy attempts to insert a number of 80s pop culture references there is no real feeling for time or place. Alec Baldwin, who appears as the local mob ruler is by far the best thing about this film. In fact, Baldwin's pretty good in everything he does these days, having successfully negotiated the thorny transition from leading man to character actor without falling foul of the pitfalls encountered by some of his contemporaries. The best scenes in the film are the ones in which he appears and aren't just the most violent incidents. There is more insight into the workings of the mob in the scene in which Baldwin sits down with another gangster to iron out a few issues between Michael and the local mob psycho than there is in the beatings and shootings, etc.

Scott Caan is memorable, but it's difficult to be sure whether it is because he gives a good performance in his own right or because in a number of scenes he is so reminiscent of his father playing Sonny Corleone.

While there's nothing new here, the picture is entertaining enough and is a relatively painless experience.

Coming off of last years nearly perfect The Departed which cast a huge shadow in how good mob movies have to be or how great every actor was compared to this indie flick. I think every actor in this film was very good and engaging, you feel the friendship between the three main characters and Alec Baldwin is always dead on in his rendition of a ruthless mob boss, if you don't like him i would rent The Cooler with William H Macy which he was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor. All in this movie is worth 10 dollars, its got a great cast and story that you may remember from the news of the 1980s Growing up in NY as a kid this movie hits home, hearing about Paul Castellano getting in front of Sparks Steakhouse was one of the most insane things to see on TV. John Gotti was a ruthless killer and he wanted everyone to know, he flaunted it to the point where he killed dozens of people for years. He would walk to the courthouse on charges weekly in his three thousand dollar suit nobody could touch him. This is why this movie is special, it captures that feeling of how it came down to an all out mob war on the streets of NY and how it was growing up in the midst of it-60s and 70s have been done. The 80s is when every move these guys made was front page news. I was lucky enough to catch this in the theater and i must say i was highly entertained. Maybe its from being a big mob movie fan or an entourage fan or just a fan of quality characters and acting, either way its fun to watch three guys from Brooklyn grow up trying to keep their nose clean in those mean Brooklyn streets of the 1980s. I just wish this movie went wide release because it was a film that had a huge cast and setting that it would have scored big with a lot of moviegoers-like the scarface generation who all think they are gangsta!

Went to a screening last night and was blown away. Michael Corrente is the kind of director that is in short supply these days. With all the garbage coming out of Hollywood, he has resisted the temptation to head west and make more $ and has instead stuck to his roots. Brooklyn Rules is a powerful independent film with a very realistic take on the coming of age genre. The cast is top notch. The stars and supporting characters ring incredibly true. I'm not going to list all the names (and there are some of the top actors out there) but just look at the credits and know that each of the actors did some of his/her best work to date. Scenes of the three best friends growing together are inter-cut with elements of harrowing violence and blossoming love. The total effect is one that left me wondering why so few films have the balance of Brooklyn Rules. So many are all out in one direction. Hyper violence- or total sex for 90 minutes. This movie has classical composition and pacing yet is completely original in it's own way. A harrowing portrait of learning the horrors of the modern city life. The soundtrack is amazing on its own. Kudos to all involved- Great job!

From the dialogue to the soundtrack, I felt like this movie was grabbing from other classic mob movies.

There were even direct quotes! ex: a conversation between freddie prinze jr and scott cahn about whether or not it was better to be loved or feared... come on! ... It was like listening to fingernails going down a chalkboard to here these two guys butchering one of the great mob movie moments between Sonny & C in A Bronx Tale.

The dramatic role was clearly too much for Freddie to handle. Scott Cahn and Alec Baldwin were bright spots, but there were too many other awkward moments that seemed like a collision between your typical romantic comedy and a bad mob movie.

If you're going to use the Stones in a mob movie soundtrack... at least pick songs that have not been used in other mob movies.

Don't waste your money and pay to see this in the theater. Its a rental.

'Brooklyn Rules' tells the story of three friends growing up in Brooklyn in the 80s. They live in a blue-collar, working-class neighborhood and have hopes for a good life ahead of them. The friendship bond among these young men is very strong. It runs for years living together. Nonetheless, time has caught up with them and life appears to open new horizons to each one of them; in this case an unforeseen event plays the role of separating their common lives for ever.

One of the friends is a rather aloof individual (easy come, easy go) but also a very good student showing promise to enter Law School; in the meantime he works in a grocery store part-time. The second is preparing to get married to his girlfriend. He is also looking for a job and is ready to move out from his parents house. The third is attracted by the life of local mob people and slowly enters their circles. This is the only way he feels that people in the community will respect him.

This is a very good and poignant film about friendship and loyalty especially in the 'tough' working-class neighborhoods of big cities like New York (here in this movie), but I think it would equally apply to many other cities where young people grow up and dream for a better tomorrow. I recommend strongly this film. A 9/10 from me.