Review of Broken City (2013) by Navq — 28 Jan 2013

Storyline: This is the rather unimaginative story of police and political corruption in New York. Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crow) hires ex cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) to follow his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and take pictures of her being unfaithful. People start dying and Billy starts to realise that nothing is quite what it seems. While this is a good movie it never really strays from the formula which doesn't exactly make for riveting viewing.

Acting: While this does have a great cast, there are no stand out performances by anyone. Everyone does a good job but little more and for a cast of this calibre it's a wasted opportunity. Mark Wahlberg is in my books a brilliant actor and can usually pull out touches of greatness but not here. Everyone really was good but I kind of hoped for more. Oh well.

Direction: The films biggest problem is perhaps Allen Hughes who has missed a huge opportunity with this. A more seasoned director could have added some stylish touches to this humdrum script because he had the actors and budget to achieve something memorable but no. A real pity.

Production: I have to admit the overall package is decent enough but almost feels like a TV movie. Almost. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked like a very good thriller but instead we get just plain good.

Conclusion: This is enjoyable if somewhat predictable but it entertained and that is ultimately what counts. Recommended.