Trivia / Brooklyn's Finest

• Awesome, Dear Boy: Ellen Barkin jumped at the chance at working with Don Cheadle. Antoine Fuqua wasn't even sure that she took payment for the part.
• Focus Group Ending: The ending was reworked following a grim reception at the Sundance Film Festival. Eddie originally committed suicide after his retirement following the climax, which serves as to bookmark the ending from the opening. Antoine Fuqua eventually decided to end the film instead with a freeze frame of Eddie's face with blood and eyes swollen because he pointed out that the face, in metaphor represents America, dazed and confused, but still moving forward.
  There's still some hope, we still have a chance. We've taken some hits, but we're still standing. It kind of came out of everything that was happening.
• Method Acting: Shannon Kane actually rented an apartment in Brooklyn and hung out in strip clubs to research her role of hooker Chantel.
• The Shelf of Movie Languishment: The film was completed in 2008 and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the film underwent reshoots through its original distributor but after said reshoots, the distributor went under. After spending a few months in distribution limbo, Overture Films (now the distribution outlet for Relativity Media) bought the film at a bankruptcy auction for $2 million, released it in March 2010 (four months after the original Thanksgiving date) and made a tidy profit.
• Spared by the Cut: The original ending as shown in Sundance had Eddie committing suicide after his retirement following the climax, which serves as to bookmark the ending from the opening. Antoine Fuqua eventually decided to end the film instead with a freeze frame of Eddie's face with blood and eyes swollen because he pointed out that the face, in metaphor represents America, dazed and confused, but still moving forward. He added, "There's still some hope, we still have a chance. We've taken some hits, but we're still standing. It kind of came out of everything that was happening."

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