A dark underworld of violence breeds despair and hopelessness on the streets of Brooklyn. Only a small force of dedicated and virtuous police officers can save such a depraved criminal community.

But the title of “Brooklyn’s Finest” is ironic.  Even those assigned to protect Brooklyn cannot escape the brutal lifestyle of criminals.

“Brooklyn’s Finest” follows the stories of three police officers (Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere and Don Cheadle) and a drug runner (Wesley Snipes) in the most crime-ridden section of New York City. These officers attempt to save a community spiraling into drug and gang violence.

Similar to director Antoine Fuqua’s film “Training Day,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” is condensed into a small time frame. The film takes place over seven days, which Fuqua uses to create immediacy.

The consistent and excessive use of violence in the film almost numbs audiences. No character is free from the cycle of carnage, which will claim dozens of lives by the end of the film. “Brooklyn’s Finest” is a deeply disturbed but superficial action film.

Fuqua seems to enjoy shocking viewers with violence. The brutality in this film is senseless and gratuitous. Such risky elements never lead to a final resolution, but only to a string of inexplicable deaths.

Hawke, Cheadle and Gere do what they can with a script weighed down with complex, supposedly thought-provoking questions. Their confused and contradictory motives as police officers are the result of an ambiguous and hazy story.

The dialogue, however, feels authentic. Slang and profanity play a large role in giving the film a gritty tone. But this dialogue does not articulate the message of the film, instead it seems to inspire confusion.

“Brooklyn’s Finest” ends in a shooting spree, romanticizing its own violence. Unfortunately, this confuses viewers regarding the film’s actual purpose, which is to show that violence is never the best solution to any problem. Fuqua’s latest film condones and condemns violence at the same time.

“Brooklyn’s Finest” is unnecessarily intense. As the film gives way to absurdity, audiences forget exactly what its characters set out to accomplish in the first place. Fuqua bombards viewers with violence without giving them a chance to catch their breath.

This film gives viewers a perspective of the darkest streets of Brooklyn but soon relents into an unsatisfying bloodbath.

“Brooklyn’s Finest” was written by Michael C. Martin and directed by Antoine Fuqua.