Brooklyn Rules

The mean streets of 1980s New York are paved with clichés in this dull and flimsy coming-of-age-meets-gangster drama. Scripted by regular Sopranos screenwriter Terence Winter, it sees a miscast Freddie Prinze Jr and his two 20-something buddies trying to make their way in a Mob-controlled Brooklyn neighbourhood. One-note performances and stale, pop culture-littered dialogue do little to convince viewers of this trio's lifelong bonds, while the plodding storyline and uninspired direction merely touch upon their alleged struggles. Instead, the GoodFellas-style voiceover of Prinze Jr and an intrusive period soundtrack are overused for atmosphere and gap filling, though even these lazy elements can't invigorate the predictable events. Only Alec Baldwin as a charismatic local mafioso has any oomph, but he's sadly seen on screen too little.