Alec Baldwin is as good here as he was in The Departed (for me, he very nearly stole that film). By turns charming, charismatic, and psychotic, he makes every second of his limited time on screen count. Mena Suvari struggles to make much of an impact in the under-written role of Michael’s high society girlfriend, and there’s a brief but extremely funny turn from Robert Turano as Bobby’s father.

Sopranos writer/producer Terence Winter has filled his screenplay with marvelous scenes. All of the dialogue is top notch — funny, touching, and always convincing. The relationship of the three friends is portrayed in such a believable and uncontrived way that you are sucked into their story. This sense of reality is another of the film's many strengths. The pacing is pretty near perfect. There are some very funny moments, some very violent moments (mostly shown offscreen), and more than anything else, there are lots of moments which make you wish you had three friends like these.

This is the kind of film that comes along very rarely nowadays. Character driven, shot on location with none of what’s come to be known as the MTV style of hyperkinetic quick cuts and goofy camera angles, it remains true to its characters throughout. Kudos to all concerned for producing the most entertaining film I’ve seen this year. I urge you to go and see it.

If you'd like to find out more about Brooklyn Rules, visit the film's website or the MySpace page.

Article Author: Tony Woolstencroft

A rabid film fan and self-confessed World of Warcraft junkie, Tony Woolstencroft lives by the mantra "I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up".

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