Brooklyn Rules (2007)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2007
Running Time	95:07 (Case: 99)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (54:08)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Michael Corrente
Studio Distributor	City Lights Pictures Icon Entertainment	Starring	Alec Baldwin Scott Caan Freddie Prinze Jr. Jerry Ferrara Mena Suvari Monica Keena Robert Turano
Case	Amaray-Opaque
RPI	$14.95	Music	Benny Rietveld

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Auto Pan & Scan Encoded	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes, minor and in character.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, Instant action, title only at approx 2 minutes in.

Many have judged Michael Corrente's Brooklyn Rules by comparing it to other "mob" movies, such as Goodfellas and The Godfather. That's really like comparing grand opera to an intimate choral performance. Brooklyn Rules is a modest film, not about the giant movers in the dark alleys and mean streets of New York, but about three young men whose lives are on the edges of the mob society - with one of the three becoming more involved than the other two would wish. As such this is an entertaining, enjoyable drama of the coming-of-age of three Brooklyn boys in the 80s, well structured, well made and with three appealing performances from the three young male leads.

Working closely with writer Terence Winter (The Sopranos) produced/director Corrente opens his film with a non linear montage of events from the plot before settling in 1974 with a scene of the three young boys in church, their characters neatly sketched by their individual responses to the collection plate as it passes through the congregation. We then follow the maturing young men as they come to terms with the Brooklyn society surrounding them. There is Michael (Freddie Prinze Jnr), the narrator of the tale, tall dark and handsome and striving to move into the world of Manhattan but deeply bonded to his roots, Carmine (Scott Caan), definitely a child of the streets and lured by the easy money to be made working outside the law, and Bobby (Jerry Ferrara), the home grown boy who just wants to marry his girl and get the best deal he can on everything. Much criticism has been levelled at the predictability of these characters, and the unoriginality of their coming-of-age story. True, there is nothing strikingly original here - it hasn't been original since the early 30s at Warner Bros with Bogart, Robinson, Raft, Cagney and remade by Garfield - but it is well written and performed by a talented and likeable trio. Prinze, known mainly for his TV comedy work, really impresses especially in scenes with Mena Suvari as the girl who exposes his bravado for what it is. Scott Caan, looking strikingly like his father at times, rises above cliché and gives warmth and humour to his role. His entrance striding along to The Walk of Life is a striking "Wow!" moment. Jerry Ferrara (Entourage) is a standout in every scene he is in. Nothing here is award winning, but they are good, solid, likeable performances from a trio of young actors who all show enormous promise. As Michael's love interest, Miss Suvari (American Beauty) makes a solid and visually lovely contribution to the mix. To all of this youth, add the mature charm and menace of Alec Baldwin as a seasoned mobster, a handful of interesting character performances - including Annie Golden, who memorably sang Frank Mills in Milos Forman's Hair, in an enjoyable turn as a waitress, and there is much to sit back and enjoy.

Much is made on the packaging of the disc of the connection to The Sopranos, Terence Winter having authored over twenty episodes of that much acclaimed TV series. This gave me some apprehension, as I am certainly no fan of that pressure cooker of a series, with passions of every variety continually exploding from the screen, at least in the few early episodes that I did watch. Brooklyn Rules is not The Sopranos, and doesn't pretend to be. This is a story about young, still basically innocent people, not the disillusioned mature hedonists of The Sopranos. You will find here neither the sex nor the violence - how I wish those two weren't paired - associated with that TV series, although there is one violent scene to cringe from, an essential scene that marks a fork in the road for the three young friends.

The photography by Richard P. Credo is especially praiseworthy, frequently using hand-held cameras in extremely confined locations. These locations in and around Brooklyn add a great deal to the atmosphere of the film, with a personal knowledge of the locale, from visits to my Brooklyn dwelling son and his family, undoubtedly adding to my overall enjoyment. The colour palette is also most effective, not limited but slightly restrained, with concentration on deep blues and reds, frequently appearing in the clothing and a motif repeated in the night life, with gleaming dark cars with their red tail lights, the red and blue B & B Meat Products sign, and the brilliant neons of Radio City Music Hall. This is not a gritty looking crime drama, but technically an extremely polished and accomplished looking film, totally overcoming any budget and time restrictions - a twenty-eight day shooting schedule!

This is certainly not a great movie, but it is a decent "little" drama, set on the fringes of big time crime. There is nothing "big" or shattering about Brooklyn Rules, but it is very relaxing sometimes to just sit back and enjoy a decent, well told story, with solid performances, and enough content to fuel at least a short discussion over coffee. Also you get a few names to watch out for in future films. I call that "getting your money's worth".

Video

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

There are three audio streams. The film was viewed in its entirety listening to the Dolby Digital 5.1 stream encoded at 448 Kbps. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stream, encoded at 224 Kbps was sampled and found to be effective, but without the enveloping impact of the 5.1 stream. The third stream is the audio commentary track, also Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded at 224 Kbps. This stream has a low rumble which enters with the commentary, but it is only noticeable at a high volume level and does not distract from the very enjoyable commentary.


This is an excellent transfer of the Dolby Digital 5.1 stream.
The dialogue was perfectly clear and easy to understand, despite the at times heavy accents and "mumblings" of some characters. Every "mumble" was perfectly communicated.
There were absolutely no sync problems.
There is plenty of 80s music on the soundtrack, but the original score by Benny Rietveld is attractive and varied, with some beautifully evocative jazzy themes for some evening sequences. All music is very nicely recorded and makes full use of the surround channels.
The surround channels were also used extensively for ambience and the limited special effects, with some pleasing directionality across the fronts.
The sub-woofer was put to limited use, but when it was enlisted provided a very satisfactory bottom to the audio scene.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu:
Presented 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced, without animation or audio.
Options presented are :
Play Movie
Scene Selections : Sixteen thumbnails on four screens, presented 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced. Portrait of Freddie Prinze Jr., no audio.
Audio : Screen with portrait of Scott Caan, without animation or audio. Options are :
* Dolby Digital 5.1
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
* Audio Commentary by Director/Producer Michael Corrente and Writer Terence Winter
Special Features : See below.

Special Features :
Presented 1.85:1 and 16x9 enhanced, with portrait of Jerry Ferrara, without animation or audio.

Play Movie with Audio Commentary : Feature commentary by Director/produce Michael Corrente and Writer Terence Winter. (Also accessible from Main Menu.)
This is an unusually entertaining feature length commentary by the two major collaborators on this film, and it really does appear to have been a genuine collaboration. Both men talk frankly and warmly about the experience, which was personal to both of them. There is much humour and personal reflection here, as well as insights into the casting and difficulties of filming, which only took twenty-eight days, with the late night rooftop rain sequence getting much attention from the director. All of it is interesting and enjoyable, particularly so to hear the story of the three actors going out to dinner with the three men upon whom their film characters were based. This ninety minutes was almost as enjoyable as the film itself.


Trailers :

30 Days of Night : (02:09) : Ratio 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Starter for 10 : (02.02) : Ratio 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced, with dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Death at a Funeral : (02:20) Ratio 1.85:1, 4x3, Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
I Know Who Killed Me : (02:20) : Ratio 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced, with DFolby digital 2.0 audio.
Thr3e : (01:16) Ratio 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall