Ethan Hawke recalls that the director pushed for the same degree of authenticity on Training Day. "People were telling Antoine it was stupid to be filming in South Central but he had this very strong instinct that if the place was real we would tell the story correctly, and he’s done the same thing on this film. It has a huge impact on the actors and on the film itself."
Richard Gere agrees that working in The Projects had an impact on the filmmaking. "Antoine can exist in many worlds. He’s very hip-hop when he’s in The Projects. The way he and his crew interfaced with the locals makes it much more authentic; in particular, casting the locals in the film and bringing in people who knew the subtleties of that world."
Fuqua mainly collaborated with a new filmmaking team on the making of Brooklyn’s Finest, to put his vision on the screen. Oliver Stone recommended Patrick Murguia, a young cinematographer from Mexico City to photograph the film.
With only 41 days to make the movie there wasn’t much room for error, Thompson notes, "Together, Antoine and Patrick created every shot to be a visual narrative".
Fuqua had always admired David Mamet’s style, and brought in his editor, Barbara Tulliver, to cut the film. Brazilian pianist and composer, Marcelo Zarvos was brought in to score the film. With a classical background, he studied at the Berklee College of Music and film scores include Kissing Jessica Stein, The Door in the Floor and Boynton Beach Club.
On reuniting with Fuqua, Hawke says, "The experience of working with Antoine and picking up where we left off is invaluable for me. His enthusiasm and passion is contagious. Antoine is an even better director today than he was on Training Day.
As part of Hawke’s research for his role he spent a lot of time with the Patterson Police Force in New Jersey. ""It’s a very hot precinct and I spent a lot of time with guys who do that job and work that beat.
"I saw the pressures they are under, how they work and how little money they make, so you really get a sense of that world and what they are up against."
"We were given access to an awful lot," he continues, "including a lot of arrests, and you realise time and time again that the enemy is poverty and that people who are desperate do desperate things."
Hawke appreciated his time working in The Projects and telling a story that doesn’t often get told about some places in America. "There’s a lot of poverty in this country and a lot of people who are struggling to find an opportunity and be part of that dream; that’s who these people represent."
On working with Fuqua, Richard Gere says, "Filming is always a voyage of discovery. You can’t know exactly what it’s going to be when you walk in. Other possibilities present themselves and emotions are mercurial, and they come in unforeseen ways. You just take advantage of what happens in the moment."
Gere prefers to work with a director who doesn’t have everything mapped out and leaves room for such possibilities. "Antoine is very open to that and I like to work that way, so we had a lot of fun".
Cheadle agrees, adding "Antoine is definitely not afraid to be collaborative, which means you don’t have to force yourself into someone else’s vision without having some latitude and bringing something of yourself to the film and the ability to flesh out your character.
During the six-week shoot, none of the three leads actually worked together, apart from one scene where they walked past each other in a single shot. Each of the characters lives separate lives on separate tracks and only converge at the end of the film.
Each of the stories was shot separately in their own blocks of time, which meant the cast were only on set for five to seven days at a time. This enabled Fuqua to spend periods of time focused on each actor’s character and story.
After spending such a short time on the film, Hawke left the production wanting more, "I had one of the best times I have had on this film and Sal is one of the best characters I have had to play. It was over when I still had the blush of love."
Brooklyn's Finest is out now.