Brooklyn's Finest

As Detective Sal Procida (Sal) navigates the cramped confines of his sedan, a sense of desperation hangs heavy in the air. A hasty conversation with Carlo Powers ends abruptly when Sal's hand trembles on the trigger, and he takes aim at his former acquaintance before grabbing a duffel bag filled with cash and making a hasty exit. Later, Sal seeks solace with a priest, confessing to the murder while bemoaning his own financial struggles. His wife is pregnant with twins, and their already cramped home has become a health hazard due to rampant mold growth – a predicament that threatens the well-being of their four existing children.

Sal's solution to his money woes arrives in the form of a larger home purchase, facilitated by a woman who owes him a favor. However, the down payment is due mere days hence, and Sal finds himself woefully short on funds. With his skills as a skilled and accomplished narcotics detective honed during his years with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Sal begins to pilfer drug money from raids, perpetuating a cycle of moral compromise.

Meanwhile, Officer Edward "Eddie" Dugan is mere weeks away from retirement after 22 lackluster years on the force. Despite his impending freedom, Eddie finds himself assigned to oversee a rookie, a task that only serves to exacerbate his own existential crises. A self-proclaimed heavy drinker who reaches for the bottle even before sunrise, Eddie's days are filled with suicidal thoughts and an unquenchable thirst. The only soul he can share his inner turmoil with is Chantel, a sex worker whose services he frequents.

On the other side of town, Officer Clarence "Tango" Butler is an undercover cop fighting the good fight against drugs. Tango's frustration mounts as he's forced to navigate the constant attention drawn by a black man behind the wheel of a sleek black BMW. Years of promises have led him to expect a promotion complete with a coveted desk job – but it seems that his only path forward lies in betraying his close friend Caz Phillips, a notorious criminal recently released from federal prison. Federal Agent Smith tasks Tango with setting up the drug deal that will ensure Caz's arrest and subsequent return to the slammer.

As Eddie navigates his final weeks on the force alongside his rookie partner – a former Marine Corps veteran whose disillusionment with Eddie's cynicism and apparent cowardice only grows – tragedy strikes when the young officer is cut down in the line of duty. A second rookie partner follows, their inexperience leading to an accidental discharge that leaves a teenager stone-deaf and facing a bleak future. Amidst the fallout, Eddie's conscience stirs, but he refuses to distort the truth to salvage his reputation or shift the blame onto the unsuspecting teen – even as Internal Affairs investigators urge him to do just that.

As Tango's warning to Caz falls on deaf ears, they're suddenly met with an onslaught of gunfire, courtesy of Red, a ruthless gangster Tango had previously humbled. Caz takes a bullet under Red's merciless orders, leaving Tango seething with anger. Meanwhile, Smith's bigoted remark and refusal to pursue Red only fuels Tango's ire, prompting him to lunge at her, but fellow officers intervene, restraining the incensed detective.

Sal's team is ordered to stand down on their latest raid, but he's determined to get his hands on some cash for his dream home. Despite Detective Ronny Rosario's attempts to stop him, Sal goes rogue and makes off with a stash of loot from an apartment. Elsewhere, Eddie has just hung up his badge and pays a visit to Chantel, only to be rebuffed when he asks her to join him in Connecticut. As he sits in his car, contemplating the bleakness of his future, fate intervenes in the form of a missing person's report that catches his attention.

As Sal closes in on the Van Dyke housing projects, Tango arrives at the scene, hell-bent on taking out Red. Unbeknownst to Sal, he's about to stumble into a kill zone. After dispatching three drug dealers and making off with their ill-gotten gains, Sal is met with a hail of bullets from a young man who grew suspicious of his lurking presence earlier.

Tango leaves Gutta alive but sets his sights on Red, pursuing the wounded gangster out into the open street. Just as he's about to deliver the final blow, Rosario arrives on the scene, mistakenly taking Tango for a gangster and pumping him full of lead from behind. It's only after taking Tango down that Rosario realizes his mistake – too late, unfortunately. He quickly calls in an ambulance and leaves the wounded detective to continue the search for Sal.

Meanwhile, Eddie has been tracking a lead that takes him deep into the Van Dyke projects. What he finds is a veritable hellhole: a sex slave dungeon hidden away in the basement of one of the buildings. With his cop instincts on high alert, Eddie apprehends one of the perpetrators and finds himself face to face with another. When this second man refuses to comply with his demands, Eddie takes matters into his own hands, delivering a swift shot to the chest before engaging in a brutal fight that ends with him strangling his opponent using a zip tie. As the emergency responders take custody of the captives, Eddie walks away, the weight of what he's witnessed settling heavy on his shoulders.