Night time; desolate dirty road and scarce streetlights. A parked car sits under the blanket of the dark night.
It's not a matter of right and wrong, it's a matter of righter and wronger.
...Are some of the first words we hear in the opening scene of the film, from a memorable and nicely added cameo by Vincent D'Onofrio. They also set the whole tone of the rest of the film as well. As we see Fuqua and team give you the gritty streets of the notoriously rough Brownsville section of Brooklyn.
Antoine's talent behind the camera and the recruitment of the likes of Gere, Hawke, Cheadle and even Snipes as well (coming through as good as I've always said he could), prove that a trite message that overbears in a so-so script can sometimes be overshadowed by elevating performances and very on-point directing. Period. Film saved. And in lesser hands, I shudder to think how much of an impact this would have had on the Sundance audience and potential distributors, most likely, none.
