Powerful

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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.

There are no opening credits. Streetwise New York police detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is brought up on charges for the killing of Mikey Tavarez (Luis Tolentino), rapist-murderer of 16-year old Yesenia Barea. As protesters picket the courthouse, oily Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) discusses the case with haughty police commissioner Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright). The two men are civil but are not really friendly. Hostetler defends Taggart against the police chief. As evidence incriminating Taggart has supposedly disappeared, the judge dismisses the case against him. The major praises but then fires Taggart because, as he says, there is a need to preclude the possibility of lost evidence being dug up and embarrassing the police department. Hostetler knows more than he lets on. Seven years later Taggart is a window-peeping private eye who lives with aspiring actress girlfriend Natalie (Natalia) Barrow (Natalie Martinez), the older sister of the dead Yesenia. Their relationship seems cool. Taggart's spunky office assistant is Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal), who obviously is in love with him. She seems to be a better match than Natalie. Hostetler, still mayor, summons Taggart for a meeting. Seems like the mayor's wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) has been unfaithful, and Hostetler wants to hire Taggart for $50,000 to find out information of the lover. As the mayor is involved in a tight race with reform challenger councilman Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), he cannot afford any negative publicity that finds its way into radio, TV, and newspapers. Taggart accepts, and receives the first $25,000. Helped by Katy, Taggart soon has the evidence: It appears that Mrs. Hostetler has been seeing Paul Andrews (Kyle Chandler), Valliant's campaign manager!At a fundraiser for the mayor's campaign at the Roosevelt Hotel, Cathleen confronts Taggart and tells him that she knows he has been tailing her. She adds that Taggart is in much deeper than he realizes. The mayor then pays Taggart the balance of the money and says that the case is finished. Not long after, Andrews is found shot to death, and Valliant is despondent. When Taggart makes him talk in front of Commissioner Fairbanks, Valliant doesn't say much except that he was attracted to Andrews. Valliant is homosexual. After checking out the Bolton Village Housing Project (BVHP), Taggart meets with Cathleen who says that Andrews was really just a good friend who was going to provide her with incriminating information about the development; in turn Cathleen wanted the evidence to get a good divorce settlement from the mayor. What Hostetler originally wanted from Taggart was to discover Andrew's source of information. Taggart visits Sam Lancaster's business; Lancaster (Griffin Dunne) is a big financial supporter of the mayor. While he is snooping the premises and gathering some info about the BVHP, a shot is fired at him; this action is followed by the mandatory car chase, complete with wrecked vehicles. Taggart survives. It is soon revealed that the Rockaway Group (Lancaster's company) will evict the residents and demolish the Bolton Village, setting up a $4 billion building project. Todd later roughs up Todd Lancaster (James Ransone), Sam's son. Todd, who opposes his father, freely gives Taggart the signed contract that he had hidden. He was Andrews' friend and source. When Taggart confronts Mayor Hostetler in his office, he shows him the BVHP contract and demands his resignation. If not, he will reveal the corrupt city real estate deal with the mayor's $2 billion kickback for a new complex. But Hostetler has his own ammo: he produces a tape that incriminates Taggart for gunning down Tavarez. Who wins the standoff? Or will both share the same cell in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary?The director does have good actors in key roles, and even supporting ones, like Alona Tal. Crowe, cast against type, is good as usual. But most of the actors are not generally likable; and yet they are much better than the movie. The feature is sunk by plot holes, undeveloped story-line, and a worn script by Brian Tucker. So the kickback and tape were the big secrets? Aren't there mayoral term limits in NY? How come only Andrews was caught with the wife under surveillance but not Fairbanks? Anyway, the Mrs. Hostetler-Fairbanks affair just does not ring true. Would Taggart really team up with the smug Fairbanks who was against him in the first scene and who was involved with his removal from the police force? Would a man like Taggart really tear up $50,000 in checks, especially since his clients were not paying their bills? What was the undertone between the construction owner and his son (the Lancasters)? It is difficult to accept Mayor Hostetler having just one strongman enforcer do his dirty work and not an entire ring to shield him from incrimination. Locations were shot in New Orleans, not New York.

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.

Broken City is a decent movie with an average storyline and a good cast that sadly don't deliver as well as they could have.The film lacks any bit of originality to make it enjoyable, it follows a very safe and formulaic story,which makes it very underwhelming as basically every move the characters make is predictable.I felt like it could have been better if the actors put more energy in to their performances,no one really seemed that interested,as far as I know,Mark Wahlberg only wanted to produce this film and didn't want to play this character,and it really shows in his acting,Russell Crowe was the only person that seemed to be really enjoying his role and getting sucked in to the character. Predictable and fairly boring,Broken City has its moments and its certainly not an awful movie,but it simply isn't interesting enough to recommend. A struggling private eye accepts a lucrative job from New York's mayor.Best Performance: Russell Crowe Worst Performance: Barry Pepper