patrick powell The puzzle is why Broken City was made at all. I understand that the script had been knocking around for years until someone had the quite possibly no-so-bright idea of filming it. But why exactly? The plot is one with which anyone who has watched films for the past 75 years will be fully familiar, and apart from the kind of fancy-schmanzy camera shots with recent technology allows, the film might well have been made from 1940 on. Was some kind of favour called in? Because I can't otherwise think why this was made.It's certainly not bad in any particular way, simply a tad redundant in an era when HBO, Amazon, Netflix and all the rest are producing 12/13-programme series whose length allows for more nuance, slower (and thus often more convincing) plot development and everything else more space and time allows.Broken City has all the names – Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg (who I always enjoy watching irrespective of how good or bad a film is), Jeffrey Wright (a highly versatile actor) and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a part which is woefully underwritten – but little for them to do. The storyline is more than a tad confused and the 'crime' at the centre of it all – well, worse happens in my household pretty much every weekend, let alone New York.So there you have it: not bad, but not in any way distinguishable from many other films made over the past 75 years covering the same ground. It gets a 5, for that reason.

Bryan Kluger I was majorly impressed with Allen Hughes of the Hughes brothers 'Broken City'. I've seen a lot of political crime dramas before, but none like this. This particular story dives into the deep dark corners of politics and the police force in New York City at the end of a big mayoral election. I'm calling it now. Brian Tucker's debut screenplay deserves at least an Oscar nomination for next year. This multi layered drama and its intense characters made this film shine above the rest in its genre.We focus on the trail end of a mayoral election campaign between the incumbent Mayor Hostetler (Russel Crowe) and the new young and rich opponent Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), who both are trying to win the people of New York over housing and tax issues. However there are a lies, betrayals, murders, and other atrocious acts of violence and crime that riddle this complex story.We see the film through the eyes of Detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg), who was forced to quit the police force by Mayor Hostetler several years ago due to a crime scene gone wrong. Now present day during the tail end of the new mayoral race, Taggart has opened a Private Investigative practice and works with his assistant Katy (Alona Tal). Business is very good for Taggart, though his clients haven't been paying him on time, and he is owed over $40k in completed work, or else he might have to shut down his practice. Much to his fortune, Mayor Hostetler calls Taggart and hires him to take pictures of his wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta- Jones) and find out who she is having an affair with. Taggart accepts the job in that the Mayor has just given him more than what he is owed from all of his clients.From here on out, we are led into a dark territory that seems to fall under the noir category as we find clue after clue that adds another twist to the story and we find out it wasn't just an affair the mayor's wife was having. I've never seen a film where every character hates one another. Sure, Taggart and his assistant work well together, but there is not a scene that goes by with them together where she doesn't call him an "asshole." And we don't only get the relationships between politicians here, but each character has a family too, which all seem to have a high level of hatred and violence for one another.The script is very well done, with quick, smart dialogue that is fresh and new. Plus we get a glimpse of each characters strengths and weaknesses, which showcase just how well each character was thought out. Wahlberg did an amazing job, which I think might be his best work since 'Boogie Nights'. He shows what a tortured soul he is and how he wants to do good, even if it's his downfall. Truly remarkable. And Crowe's performance is perfectly played out as a charming and witty politician with a very sinister undertone. Plus his New York accent is very good and believable. Zeta-Jones' character probably has the most depth and mystery surrounding her. She plays it perfectly, never knowing what side she is on. Unfortunately, she receives little screen time, but when she's on, she's golden.If you're looking for an action crime movie, this probably isn't it, although it has a few very rough scenes with violence and a small car chase, but this film mostly relies on smart dialogue, two-faced characters, and surprises at every turn to keep you on the edge of your seat, which it does from start to finish. Usually, the films that are released in January are sub-par, but 'Broken City' breaks that tradition. Highly recommended.

Miri G Story 7.5 / 10 Acting 1 / 10 Cinematography 2/10: 0/10 on filming the actors and 2/10 on spending some $ on effects/stunts.The movie tells an interesting story but the actors, all of them, are pretty dull; except Alona Tal she was the only one happy playing her character.Catherine Zeta Jones' script can be counted by the number of letters rather than the number of words.The movie could have been done better using actors who wanted to act.What makes the movie worse is its extended length: it is hard to watch people who do not want to be on the set being forced to do so for such an extended period.

MacTheMovieguy Mark Wahlberg has been making some really good choices recently in terms of films. The Fighter, for example, stands out as a great choice for him. Russell Crowe, well, he was in Les Miserables which did well despite his singing. Somehow, these two read the script for the painfully boring Broken City and decided this was the film they wanted to make.In what would normally be wrapped up in an hour on Law and Order, Wahlberg plays Billy Taggart, an ex-cop turned Private Eye who is hired by the mayor (Russell Crowe) to spy on his cheating wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Only, Wahlberg isn't any ex-cop, he has a sketchy background where he may-or-may-not have executed someone in cold blood. And the wife? Well, she may-or-may-not be cheating on the mayor with someone (Kyle Chandler) from his opponent's (Barry Pepper) campaign. Of course, this is on of those films where nothing is as it seems, but everything is exactly as it seems, and you see everything coming a mile away. This is a redemption story for Billy, above all else.Again, this plot could have been wrapped up in one episode with Law and Order. The almost two hour runtime feels needlessly unnecessary, as you find Wahlberg over investigating a plot that was obvious to you thirty minutes ago. He comes across as the least competent detective in New York, and Crowe seems to be sleepwalking through his role as the mayor, mainly because he has very little to do except play the obvious villain. Zeta Jones doesn't offer much as the wife, and she honestly seems a little 'big' for her part, considering how little she's on screen. The direction from Allen Hughes, who has offered us more in the past (Menace II Society) just seems like an average TV director on an episode of NCIS. Competent, but bland.This isn't anything new, it doesn't bring anything exciting to the table or the genre. This 'Broken City' seems like every other city you've seen before, except this detective could benefit from knowing he was in a movie. Maybe then, he'd be able to jump ahead to the ending, and save us all an hour of our lives.