Review of Broken City (2013) by Maksim B — 10 Oct 2013

Broken City is a solid and moderately enjoyable political thriller, which blends themes of ethics, political ambition, guilt and redemption, with splendid performances and a relatively decent intrigue. While having several Hollywood-heavyweights in the cast, the movie does not fully keep its initial pace and in spite of its "old school" flirt with crooked politicians, business and immoral police agents, it lacks an energizing final twist and turns out to be quite predictable.

The story is centered on ex-detective, now private eye, Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) who is hired by the mayor of NYC (Russell Crowe) to investigate his wife and her probable lover just days before the next NYC elections are held. During this investigation, stakes turn to be much higher the crooked ex-colleagues of Wahlberg, the hidden business interests of the Russell Crowe and an ambitious political contender get involved. Questions of morality, past sins and feelings are enriching the story, making it quite an entertaining one. This gets especially strengthen by the rock solid performances of Wahlberg and Crowe, who actually happen to be an excellent silver screen match. Supported by Catherine-Zeta Jones, Kyle Chandler and the formidable Barry Pepper, Broken City seems to have almost everything which could have made it more than an excellent delivery.

Unfortunately, Allen Hughes' movie lacks an important ingredient which could have made this production an A-class one. Despite its interesting premises and fine pacing, Broken City is absolutely predictable and the final twist is simply non-existent. In addition to this, Hughes pays unnecessary attention to Mark Wahlberg's troubled relationship with Natalie Martinez, which partially diverts the focus of the story.

Still, this does not deprive Broken City from being a very good "old school "noir thriller which would definitely satisfy the fans of the genre. It delivers enough to please, but in the end it fails to capitalize on the strength of its story-line.