Regras do Brooklyn

What a movie! It is like a Bronx Tale meets Stand By Me. A Romeo & Juliet/ West Side Story Combo. From the streets of Brooklyn to the streets of Manhattan. Three friends follow their dream. One follows the path of the street; the wannabe gangster. Another follows the path out of the streets/college. And one lost soul is just happy to be the blue collar regular guy. A love story; a story about friendship and loyalty. Freddie Prinze Jr. is fantastic; as is Mena Suvari. Scott Caan reminds us so much of his father in this role. Jerry Ferrara's break out big screen role. Michael Corrente outdid himself with this masterpiece. He has Alec Baldwin back in another good role. And check out the non-speaking doorman; his expressions are priceless. A must see film!

I have to say I was presently surprised by this little film, I expected way less then I got. That's not to say that this is a fantastic film but it's a good one. It does a great job of representing a believable friendship between it's three main characters. I once again have to gripe of the pointless and sub par acted female character who is injected for the point of having one and doesn't add much to the film. Alec Baldwin is great as he usually is, and the three main characters are both well acted and believable unlike their accents but that's not important here. The story may be filled with a few clichés but the friendship of the characters make it work well enough to pull you into the story, not immerse you in it but keep your interest. I don't want to say Freddie Prinze was amazing but he was rather good, I wish he would lean more into films like this and stay away from any romantic comedy/dramas for a little while, play a villain or something, I do believe he has the talent it's just that he gets type cast in those romantic roles. Anyway, the film was surprisingly good, as was the story and the acting. Don't expect the Sopranos, Goodfellas and definitely not The Godfather and you won't be disappointed.

If I had to sum up this movie it would have to include a mixture of Boondock Saints, A Bronx Tale and a little taste of Goodfellas all rolled into one to create BROOKLYN RULES...the cast was awesome the storyline was as truthful as you can get and the movie had it's moments of comedy and others of reflection....I would give this movie a 10 out of 10 and I hope that more people get to see this movie which without the hype will gain it's legion of viewers by word of mouth...those are the best kind of movies in my opinion the ones that just spread like a tidal wave without the pomp and circumstance but still end up being all-time classics or at least achieve Cult Status.

OK, this isn't the best Brooklyn-coming-of-age-in-the-midst-of-wiseguys movie ever made, but all in all I think it was pretty good.

First off, I think all the acting was pretty good. A great turn from Jerry Ferrara, "entourage"s Turtle. One may think from watching that show that this kid was plucked off the streets of Bensonhurst (where's he's from... and I am too) to be on the show, and is a one-trick-pony, but, he gave a great, nuanced, sweet performance of a character that was nothing like his "entourage" alter ego. Kudos to him. I look forward to seeing him in more films, growing as an actor. He was likable, believable, and genuine.

Scott Cahn was excellent. He played his character, one that isn't new in mob-related films, with intensity, humor, and honesty. While his character Carmine may be bordering on a life of crime, he kept the character's heart in tact. I swear moments in this film reminded me of his dad... in a good way.

Freddie Prinze Jr, who'ds I've never seen in a "real movie", was pretty good in this too. Out of the three though, he seemed the most out of place, but, I felt he tried hard and played the role with conviction. His and Mena Suvari's (another actor who I felt didn't fit this film) romance plot line was one the movie could have done without. Upper crust girl falls for and inspires scrubby neighborhood guy to shoot for the stars. It's been done before, and it didn't need to be done again. ANyway, I think if this kid had more roles like this to beef him up, he'd become a pretty good actor. He's not BAD now... but he'd get better for sure doing character driven films like this.

Alec Baldwin, who I think is always entertaining, did a good job in this as the local neighborhood mob boss. He didn't ham it up or go over the top as he sometimes does. He did a nice understated job that suited the character. He was likable, but also had that sheen of danger about him. Good work for this kind of character.

The Brooklyn setting (basically the neighborhoods visited in this are Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Bay Ridge, and Dyker Heights) were genuine (Pastels was a nice touch... and if you're from this neighborhood, you'd agree). The backdrop plot line of the "rise of John Gotti" was a cool one to see everything eveolve around. It hasn't really been touched upon except for on those not-very-great TV movies about Gotti and Sammy "The Rat" Gravano. I thought it was a nice touch. Ss were the scenes with Bobby's family. Perfect! It had comedy, drama, believable characters, and while it may not be the greatest movie ... mob related or not... it had heart. I dug it. It's worth a view.

PS. Someone mentioned in their review that if you're gonna use The Stones in your mob movie soundtrack, you shouldn't use songs already used in other mob movies. Well, to correct them, the only Stones song in this flick is "Sympathy for the Devil"... which to my knowledge was never used in another mob movie. And anyway, Scorcsese used "Gimme Shelter" in not one but TWO of his films. I guess he should be chastised even more for ripping himself off, huh?

'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.