Broken City (2013) User Reviews (170)

Smarter than You Think, Not as Clever as You Hope

[Bob_the_Hobo · 7/10 · 18 January 2013]

Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is a New York city cop who got off on a technicality following his execution of a supposed rapist/murder. Discharged from the force by his Captain (Jeffrey Wright), Taggart is viewed highly by Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe) for taking out the trash with a common thug. Seven years later, Hostetler, amidst a re- election battle against golden boy city councilman Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), hires Taggart to find out who is sleeping with his gorgeous wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). As Taggart follows, he uncovers a much larger conspiracy.

In his first solo outing, Allen Hughes (one half of the Hughes brothers that brought us "The Book of Eli") now offers a stylish, dark vision of corruption in New York. The ladies are beautiful and all have something to hide, the men are violent and vicious and the story is ripped out of countless true-to-life headlines. "Broken City" lives up to its name and fires a slug packed with intrigue and intelligence. That doesn't necessarily translate to mean "clever".

The story sold in the trailer is a bit misleading, but perhaps that's the point. Mayor Hostetler's hiring of the true-blue cop Taggart is only a minor segment of a much larger puzzle. It involves cops, businessmen, and politicians in bribery and exploitation with a prize that all but Billy seem to seek: power. Overall that is the film's theme and it more than adequately conveys it. If you understand that and aren't looking for much else, "Broken City" is your ticket.

As I was watching the film I kept thinking that there must have been some significant cutting and re-editing. Perhaps the original cut was too dry so they added in some scenes and cut some to make the film seem more edgy. But it doesn't seem as edgy as it could have been. A number of subplots (for instance Billy's actress girlfriend, or the undeveloped father-son relationship between two of the villains) go nowhere and remain unresolved when the screen goes black. I felt much the same way.

Mark Wahlberg does an excellent job playing Mark Wahlberg, a role he was born to play. Catherine Zeta-Jones is as beautiful and commanding as ever in a role that is too short for the movie. But it is Russell Crowe who devours his scenes with the political intensity I would suppose is necessary for any real Mayor of New York. Even as the script built around Billy lags, Crowe tears apart his role. He shows why he is truly one of the best actors in the business.

The supporting cast of this film are as much a draw as the leads. Jeffrey Wright, the usual supporting character with more power than he lets on, plays the secretive Police Commissioner. His character is introduced as a stock role but ends up being much more. Kyle Chandler has a small role that deserved to be expanded. Barry Pepper, who wasn't even featured in the trailer, is the only actor in the film with the same bravado as Crowe. His scenes, particularly one with Wright and Wahlberg, are indicative of why he should be the one on the poster, now buried in the bottom credits.

Overall "Broken City" kept my attention but left me hungry for more. I suppose that is all you can ask for at the movies. I would take this ride again.

Unfortunately only in Fiction Mayors Are Investigated and Arrested

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 2 June 2013]

In New York City, detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) goes to court for the murder of the rapist Mikey Tavarez (Luis Tolentino), but the Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) and the Chief of Police Carl Fairbanks (Jeffrey Wright) vanish with an important evidence and Billy is declared non-guilty by the judge but he leaves the police department.

Seven years later, Billy is a private detective that lives his girlfriend Natalie Barrow (Natalie Martinez), who is an aspirant actress and the sister of Mikey's victim. His secretary Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal) is trying to collect part of the debts to save their business.

In the week of the elections, Hostetler summons Billy and offers US$ 50,000 to investigate his wife Cathleen Hostetler (Catherine Zeta-Jones) that he believes is having a love affair. Billy discovers that Cathleen is meeting Paul Andrews (Kyle Chandler), who is the coordinator of the campaign of Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), the opponent of Hostetler and favorite in the election. When Paul is found dead on the street, Billy finds that he had been double-crossed by Hostetler and he decides to investigate the truth behind Paul's murder.

"Broken City" is a great political thriller about a situation that certainly happens in big cities. Mayor Hostetler is evicting people from a residence building and selling the real estate for an underrated value. In Rio, there are mysterious interests from the Powers That Be that change the construction code allowing tall buildings at the seaside streets; or destroy a velodrome and a car racing track in a valuable real estate and intending to construct another in a mined area that belongs to the Brazilian army; or valorize the harbor area with questionable constructions. Unfortunately only in fiction majors are investigated and arrested. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Linha de Ação" ("Action Line")

Entertaining, yet still average.

[michael-j-chapman1997 · 7/10 · 19 April 2013]

Broken City has many flaws, yet I was still surprisingly entertained the entire way through. Russell Crowe was the highlight of the movie, not a surprise, as he's one of the best actors of his generation. Mark Wahlberg was pretty good too, although he wasn't very likable. An election's happening, Crowe is the dirt bag of a mayor, and an election's coming up. Although it seems Crowe was supposed to be the bad guy, his opponent wasn't likable at all, and I was rooting for the corrupt mayor the entire time. The supporting cast in general wasn't spectacular, although Kyle Chandler plays his part well. The film was written averagely, the story wasn't that great, and the direction was simple, yet as I stated earlier, I had a good time.

Great Cast Keeps Weak Story Going

[Michael_Elliott · 21 January 2013]

Broken City (2013)

*** (out of 4)

Entertaining but very flawed political thriller about a private eye (Mark Wahlberg) who was thrown off the NYC police force but gets a major job when the Mayor (Russell Crowe) asks him to find out who his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is messing around with. This case is rather easy for the man but soon he realizes that this is just the start of dirty business. BROKEN CITY, as a thriller, really doesn't work because the plot is rather silly. It's especially silly if you start to think about it too long and that's why it's best to just walk into the theater, turn your brain off and enjoy the excellent cast that's offered up here. It's always amazing to see how many great actors they can get for less-than-stellar material but the three leads are excellent as are Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper and Alona Tal. The performances are certainly the reason to check this film out as they help keep the film moving along no matter how many twists and turns get thrown at us. Wahlberg is once again a lot of fun playing the tough guy and has no problem with this. Crowe appears to be having fun with the less than serious role and Zeta-Jones gets a couple nice scenes along the way. I thought Pepper is the one who really stood out playing the man going up against Crowe's character in the upcoming election. Tal was also a breathe of fresh air when she's on screen. An almost unrecognizable Griffin Dunne also plays a supporting part. Director Allen Hughes does a nice job at keeping the film moving at a nice pace but there's still no question that the material just isn't all that strong. I'm not sure if there were countless re-writes or not but the screenplay pretty much hits on every cliché that this lower-quality political thrillers do. The twists and turns aren't all that shocking and neither is the ending. Still, BROKEN CITY remains enjoyable thanks to the cast.

Surprisingly mature and compelling thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 10 February 2015]

I'm not sure why this was a bomb at the box office, because I thought it was pretty decent. It's a New York-set conspiracy thriller starring the underrated Mark Wahlberg as a private detective who soon becomes embroiled in a new case involving the city's Mayor (played with sleazy relish by Russell Crowe) and his cheating wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

BROKEN CITY avoids the usual clichés of the genre for the most part, and it's almost entirely action-free; there are no fight scenes here and only a couple of shots are fired throughout. It's far from boring, though; the political shenanigans are completely engaging, and the scriptwriter does a fine job of showing how events from the past can come back to haunt us.

I've really been enjoying Wahlberg's performances as of late (after this and CONTRABAND) and he does another good job here of playing a rather unpredictable and unlikeable character. Crowe is excellent, cast against type, and the underrated Jeffrey Wright bags a strong supporting role. BROKEN CITY is a story-focused thriller that remains tight and compelling throughout, which is why I give it a thumbs-up.

A Generic Political Thriller

[griffolyon12 · 6/10 · 20 June 2013]

Broken City is not an unwatchable movie, but it's not a great movie either. A standard, run-of- the-mill political thriller about corrupt politicians and the private eye caught in the middle of it all, is elevated by the turns of Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe, but the script itself is bland and a little too on the nose for it to ever be believable or emotionally involving. When a character is flat-out telling you everything about their backstory, rather than letting you piece it together through visuals and subtext, that's when you know the script doesn't always work. Even still, there are good moments to be found here and there, but there's nothing about this movie that's any different than any similar movie ever released, and most of those do everything a lot better. Want my advice, watch Serpico or All the President's Men instead.

I give Broken City a 6 out of 10!

Unconvincing stuff, but well made it seemed to me

[secondtake · 7/10 · 31 December 2013]

Broken City (2013)

A familiar zone that gets freshened up with a fast plot, some great acting, and a series of twists that never ends.

At first this seems to be a cop story, then a cop story involving the mayor as he runs for office. The mayor is played with such conviction and charm by Russell Crowe you end up rooting for him even as the plot clearly turns against him. But more important is the cop, vilified and with dubious ethics, played by Mark . He's tough, easily duped, and eventually principled—depending on what your principles are.

Beyond the plot (which I'll get to) and the clashing of big personalities (which works), what makes this movie tick is how well it's made. Those prosaic things like editing and photography really meld and take on a force that sucks you in without exaggeration or affectation. It's a straight ahead film in many ways, but invested with intensity and solidity enough to make it really commanding, despite some holes in the plot.

Why the unfavorable response by so many? This might be helpful before diving in. The key is some kind of believability. Wahlberg plays a troubled cop in a troubled relationship (which is a cliché of these kinds of movies), and then becomes a low level detective taking sneaky pictures of adulterous situations. And as a photography myself I have to say this part of the movie is rotten stupid—the way he hides is one thing (bad) but the way he uses his camera is just silly. And getting results (which we are told about later) that are impossible given what we were shown earlier.

Then there is the motivation behind it al, which I can't reveal (and which won't be clear until the end, if even quite then). Since the movie has no real tricks up its sleeve, it depends on a convincing series of events, which it doesn't quite have. The events taken one by one are bold and well done, sometimes very well done, but they don't quite accelerate into a coherent, gripping plot.

For those who watch movies for what happens (the action, the plot), this will be a struggle. But if you also get into the ambiance, the acting, and the visuals, you might give it a shot. I watched it straight through and was interested all along. Maybe I kept holding out hope that it would gel by the end (it does not), but if that's what it takes to watch it, give that a try!

I own you!

[kapelusznik18 · 6/10 · 11 February 2014]

***SPOILERS*** Dirty & sleazy New York City politics at its worse is depicted in the movie "Broken City" with ex-cop and now bedroom dick private eye Billy Taggert, Mark Wahlberg, being hired by NYC Mayor Hostetler, Russell Crowe, to investigate his sexy wife, that he's estranged from, Cathleen, Catherine Zeta-Jones, to see if she' having an illicit affair that can hurt his chances of being re-elected.

As it turns out Taggart uncovers a number of secret meetings that Cathleen has been having with non other then Paul Andrews, Kyle Chandler, who just happens to be his opponent in the mayoral race out of state and accused carpetbagger Jack Valliant, Barry Pepper. Valliant has been peppering his campaign with stories that Mayor Hostetler has been involved with a Donald Trump like building mogul who's trying to grab the Bolton Village Project and displace its 37,000 middle income inhabitants replacing it with high rise luxury condos!

As it soon turned out that the Mayor has an ace up his sleeve that he's using to keep Taggart on a short lease and under his control that has to do with a shooting that he was involved seven years ago in gunning down suspected rapist and all around low life Mikey Tavarez, Louis Tolentino, that cost him has job as a New York City policeman. It's when Taggart found out that he's been used by Mayor Hostetler to not really find out who his wife was having an affair with but to have Paul Anbdrews set up for a hit to keep him from talking, about the truth behind the Bolton Village Project, that everything about this entire plan fell into place. Now faced with a murder charge hanging over his head in the Tavarez shooting that Mayor Hostetler has video proof of Taggart seems helpless to expose him. That's unless he's willing to face the consequences that goes along with it!

***MAJOR SPOILERS*** The movie shows just how sleazy and corrupt people in power really are going as far as murder to keep the truth about their actions from being exposed. Taggart who wasn't all that clean himself at least woke up and smelled the coffee in what he was now involved in and it stunk to high heaven. With nothing to lose but his freedom Taggart did in the end the right thing which at least cleared his consciences of not going along with Mayor Hostetler's cover up of both his connections to Andrews' murder but also the Bolton Village Project as well. Which had him end up being a cell-mate with Billy Taggart in Sing Sing Prison!

We Broke this city on Mark and Crowe

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 20 January 2013]

Greetings again from the darkness. The best Political crime dramas are complex films with multiple intersecting sub-plots, filled with stylish mis-direction and intense wordplay and back-stabbing between good guys and bad. What doesn't work is obvious. Especially obvious to the point where the audience is way ahead of the earnest, but clumsy protagonist. Luckily for director Allen Hughes (working solo without his brother Albert for the first time), he has stacked the film with a wonderful cast which makes it somewhat entertaining despite its major flaws.

Mark Wahlberg plays (what else?) a streetwise guy/cop/detective who tries to do the right thing but always seems to end up with the short straw. Russell Crowe is in fine form as the megalomaniac NYC mayor who plays dirty, but knows how to sell his stuff to the people ... even as he schemes to do great wrong. Their paths cross twice and neither time turns out so great for Wahlberg.

As for the rest of the cast, Barry Pepper is miscast as Crowe's mayoral opponent; Jeffrey Wright is intriguing as the Police Commissioner seemingly playing both sides against the middle; Catherine Zeta-Jones is Crowe's most unhappy and disloyal wife; Kyle Chandler plays Pepper's campaign manager (and evidently more); and Griffin Dunne is a rich Crowe supporter and knee deep in the evil scheme. Also interesting is Alona Tai as Wahlberg's wise-cracking assistant.

While no details will be spilled here, there is a fun exchange during the debate between Crowe and Pepper, and well, the movie is just at its best when Crowe is on screen. Wahlberg's character is pretty much the same he has played a dozen times prior, but it seems the real issue is with first time screenwriter Brian Tucker. He is just overrun with ideas and because of that, most go undeveloped. A script clean-up from a screen veteran could have turned this one around. Still, if you have seen all the Oscar nominated films and are looking for a watchable January release, you could do worse. Just try not to think too much!

Broken City - Unexpectedly Enjoyable, Suspenseful and Intriguing!

[ArthurVanDam1 · 7/10 · 27 January 2013]

Detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is booted out of the NYC Police Force under mysterious circumstances relating to a shooting in a low-income housing project, which occurred before the movie begins. New York City Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) hires Taggart to tail his wife, Cathleen Hostetler (the Beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones. Needless to say, the Mayor believes his wife is bedding another man - aka cheating. Or is there a bit more to the quest? Along the way, Taggart uncovers a big-money, web of conspiracy involving corruption.

I liked Broken City movie because we don't know who did what and how many people did what to whom. In other words, while we're on edge waiting for the resolution, more perpetrators enter the game and as they say, "the plot thickens." An excellent performance by Russell Crowe; and a good showing from Wahlberg too. Zeta-Jones always shines through. I'm a fan of Alona Tal.

The unanswered questions expanded until the very end when resolution arrived. All in, Much More Suspenseful than I expected.

I did Not like the several times Carl Fairbanks, Police Commissioner (Jeffrey Wright) said "It's complicated" when asked who's involved by Taggert. Aren't most things complicated? Surely the writers could do better than that. A few times, the dialog was muffled, but then maybe it was the theater's sound system or my hearing.

I also liked Katy Bradshaw (Alona Tal) who plays Taggert's officemate and close friend and confidante. It wasn't clear to me the nature of their relationship - lovers, family members, friends or merely coworkers. Maybe I missed the connection. I wish the writers would have developed her character more. I first met Tal in the hit TV series "Leverage" (Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman) where she played Kaye Lynn Gold, country music singer, in The Studio Job (2010). I hope we see more of Tal. Wish Leverage didn't end at the end of Season 5.

See Broken City; You'll enjoy it! Arthur VanDam, film critic and author

Painting by numbers

[mannin11 · 5/10 · 18 January 2013]

I give this a five for the cast, but a two for the obtuse and predictable script, which inexplicably appeared on the Black List of best unproduced scripts -- in which category it should have remained. In development hell for years, it should at the very least have undergone a major rewrite to simplify the story (which wanders all over the place and becomes dumber by the minute) and raised the tone up out of the gutter. Whichever studio execs placed this on the Black List need to stop sniggering over the dirty words and earn their money by figuring out just what constitutes a good script. Wahlberg is always a pleasure to spend time with but the phoniness of so many of the scenes and the clunkiest car chase ever defeat even his efforts to entertain. So much of this movie is predictable and so many scenes are actors simply going through their paces with inferior material. The gorgeous, gorgeous Catherine Zeta Jones is totally wasted in this piece of dreck. Somewhere in this movie there may originally have been a good idea about corruption in the city. Unfortunately nobody appears to have had the courage to grab it by the throat, beat it into shape and present it to the public with any wit, style or originality. Like it says in the header, this is painting by numbers.

Entertaining thriller

[DarkVulcan29 · 8/10 · 25 January 2013]

The Mayor(Russell Crowe) of New York, who pretty much has everything in his back pocket, hires a private detective(Mark Wahlberg) who was once a cop, but was fired because of a scandalous shooting incident. He hires him to follow his wife(Catherine Zeta Jones) in suspecting that she is cheating on him, but what is gonna be discovered, is more than meets the eye.

This movie kind of drags in the first part, but surprisingly picks up in the second part. Crowe and Wahlberg do give descent performances, so does Catherine Zeta Jones and Barry Pepper. It an alright thriller, nothing beyond greatness, but still entertaining, although in spots it could have better, but still deserves an 8/10.

Diamond in the rough

[aharmas · 7/10 · 24 February 2013]

This one had the makings of a classic, with a very interesting cast: Whalberg, Crowe, and Zeta-Jones, all of whom have done great work before and are more than engaging and capable of giving us multi layered performances. The result is satisfying, but it feels rushed, and there were moments when there are gaps in the narrative. The supporting roles needed a little fleshing out because as I mentioned before the seeds were planted, yet something stunts the full development of a golden promise.

Crowe shines in the role of the apparently corrupt mayor of a city getting ready for an electoral race. Unfortunately, one keeps waiting for more. Whalberg provides a good balance as a good man with a flawed past, and there are the supporting characters, somehow essential to the development of the plot twists, and there are at best, outlines, sketches, without much depth, and we like them because the performers are so charismatic. Barry Pepper especially has a couple of memorable moments, and in a much smaller, but no less interesting is Kyle Chandler a guy with a mysterious past.

What begins as a detective story, soon turns into a thriller, where our hero must confront the consequence of his misjudgement and impetuous nature. Whalberg is very sympathetic and very likable, even in the moments where his character shows his dark side. There is always someone who is just well, worse than him.

"Broken City" gives new meaning to "I hope there's a director's cut somewhere"...

Top talents only take 'Broken City' so far

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 4/10 · 19 January 2013]

The quality of a corruption-themed political thriller with a star-studded cast always comes down to one thing — the script. Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Barry Pepper, Kyle Chandler and Jeffrey Wright definitely qualify "Broken City" for that category of film, and so all eyes are on rookie screenwriter Brian Tucker.

Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) is a New York City police detective acquitted of killing a man who got off on a rape and murder charge. The mayor (Crowe) and commissioner (Wright) know a bit more, however, and require Taggart to step down. Seven years later, Taggart is a private investigator owed a lot of money that he hasn't seen, so when the mayor comes calling weeks before election day and asks him to find out who his wife is sleeping with, he quickly agrees. But when he completes the job he finds he's been double-crossed and set up as an accomplice to murder.

The plot is most definitely neo-noir, but the direction of Allen Hughes (one half of the Hughes brothers, the duo behind "The Book of Eli" and "From Hell") provides it with none of that style or class. But visual flare becomes irrelevant when your audience is too preoccupied with making sense of a convoluted plot.

Tucker weaves an intriguing network of deception that keeps you from trusting any character in the movie, including even Taggart, but there are too many pieces, including barely introduced characters, that comprise the hidden truth in the story. Consequently, the film relies on heavy- handed dialogue and formula way more often that it should. Tucker tries to make it so every component of the film connects in some way, yet to do so he falls back on clichés.

A lot of the dialogue is also steered toward set-ups for sharp one-liners. These veteran actors know how to work lines of this contrived nature, but because the rest of this film doesn't do its job, these quotes elicit chuckles more than satisfied smirks.

Of all the talents, Crowe gives the film's best performance as the shadowy Nick Hostetler, who despite preferring to keep his own hands clean, comes off as though at any moment he might roll his sleeves up and punish someone. Considering the trailer casts him as the bad guy, it's impressive that you'll like him for as much of the run time as you do.

The script attempts to paint Taggart as a complex main character of moral ambiguity, but he just sort of drifts in and out of likability instead. Few actors do the "man on a mission" better than Wahlberg does, but Taggart is saddled with a penchant for violence that crops up sporadically and he's also a recovering alcoholic. And that's in addition to his past transgressions.

The conflict plays over a mayoral race between Hostetler and Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), which gets a lot of play despite factoring minimally into the main narrative. It's part of the many cogs necessary to make the plot function, but it mostly results in the spouting of political rhetoric that just makes the story all the murkier.

"Broken City" works reasonably well in individual pieces and scenes, but as part of the master plan, they're drawn together almost haphazardly, with some crucial details cutting across the screen in the blink of an eye. Even so, the resolution all comes down to some really simple and even cliché plot devices. There are no late twists or revelations that really turn the tide; the biggest one gets nullified almost instantly.

Any film can flash some big names and load up on reputable faces, but in this genre, script is king. Hughes is practically invisible as a director, so Tucker's work is exposed all the more. Some strong acting really bolsters the film's strengths, but it only goes as high as the structure it's built upon, and that structure has enough kinks that "Broken City" only delivers marginal satisfaction.

~Steven C

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A Badly Written Mess

[DUKEJBM · 18 January 2013]

This movie is a mess. It's an entertaining mess but a mess nonetheless. Besides taking no time to introduce or make us care about any of the characters, the overall plot and concept are simply ludicrous and that's putting it mildly. What transpires a week leading to the election for mayor of New York is so outrageous and nonsensical that it deflates this movie right to its core. Character actions make no sense at all and the movie tries to turn on a dime in a few places to seem clever or deliver some sort of arc but it all plays out as lazy writing and development.

SPOILER: The mayor's wife Cathleen Hostetler (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is written the worst of all and when you think about it, her involvement and the motivation of others to include her makes no sense at all. It's not a plot hole, it's just too silly for reality or for entertainment in this case. You have to have a plot that makes sense in the first place for there to have plot holes or flaws. Crowe phoned in the bad guy mayor role because I believe that he had to. There's nothing there to work with as an actor, even one as good as Russell.

Overall, the writing and character beats are atrocious just like Wahlberg's last early year release Contraband.

Don't read any synopses

[guyripley0 · 7/10 · 17 December 2019]

Broken City is a mediocre thriller. Good acting and a reasonable script make for a couple of hours of escapism. Whatever you do - unless it's too late - don't read any synopses because they all give away twists in the plot, some of which happen over halfway through the film.

There's nothing new under the sun

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 August 2013]

In New York City, police detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is arrested for the murder of suspected rapist Mikey Tavarez. He is cleared but is rejected by the force. Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) had hidden evidence about the case. Seven years later, Billy is struggling as a private investigator. The mayor hires him to investigate his wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Corruption in the big city. This theme is nothing new. It's been done before and done better. The story is a little weak especially the ultimate corruption. If they were going for noir, they really needed a sad ending instead of a sappy ending. The ending is too weak. I like Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg playing corrupt characters. In general, I like the tone. I wish they do more of a re-write and embrace the corruption/noir even more.

I'M JUST THE HAND CUFFS GUY

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 16 April 2019]

Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is a policeman who murders a killer/rapist who has escaped the criminal justice system. He gets off using a self defense plea, however the mayor (Russell Crowe) has evidence to the contrary.

We jump to seven years later. Billy, now a private detective, is living with the sister (Natalie Martinez as Natalie) of the victim of the man he killed. Natalie is an actress who is excited about her up and coming indie movie debut. Note to self: If you get naked in a film and make love to a man, tell your boyfriend before he sees it.

Meanwhile Billy is asked by the crooked mayor to investigate his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who he believes is having an affair. It is an election year and he is running against young Connecticut carpetbagger Jack Valiant (Barry Pepper). Billy takes photos of the mayor's wife and Jack's campaign manager (Kyle Chandler) together. BTW the police commissioner (Jeffrey Wright) doesn't like the mayor either.

This early twist sets things up for later twists as Billy finds himself in over his head with feuding factions while trying to cope with his newly broken relationship.

This film left me unfulfilled. Russell Crowe didn't sing, which is a plus. The characters were stiff and the dialogue stale. This is just another "me too" crime drama. Wait for the rental.

Parental Guide: F-bomb. Quick on screen sex scene, which may of had some even quicker nudity.

It just peels itself and throw it away

[Nokitron · 6/10 · 14 March 2013]

It's a story about "bad cop, good cop" (or should I say "bad pupil, good pupil"). Started by the act Billy Taggart(Marky Mark) and someone who raped-till-death Yesenia Barea, head-shot by the police bare hands(JK, pistol). Fortunately, it was considered as self-defense by the court.

7 years has passed, Billy starting to forget what happened, not until the New York City currently Mayor, Nicholas Hostetler(Russell Crowe) called him for another private detective job that he could avoid, and this movie will just end well.

As far as I can say, this film has no special point at all. Yeah, we all know Marky Mark hardly miss the police role, neither do Crowe and Caroline Zeta-Jones. But the story, it has no special point at all. All you want to do is just waiting this story to peel its truth one-by-one.

From the Mayor's wife, to Mayor's rival campaign manager, to Mayor himself and back to dearly Billy Taggart. It's just like watching CSI, minus murder focus, yet a mystery. And the sub-plot, they are never find their their solution, I kinda hate that.

And if you expect the car battle will help, no, that makes it worse. Such a nonsense that a car with 40 mph speed that leaves nothing but a bruise for its driver. Come to think of it, crime movie uses logic all the time.

tl;dr This movie is not worth it for cinema. Wait it to come in front of your couch will be good. Or else, you'll find it very plain, no twist, an exciting debate(but hey, once again, it's crime movie, not a debate movie we want to watch here), good acting, funny drunk act, little fist-fighting, and the ending, the ending soundtrack is pretty good. I wonder where I can find it...

Broken movie

[tictack · 5/10 · 18 January 2013]

First of all whats with the title of the movie? its catchy but hardly bears any relevance to the story. The plot and the screenplay are just good for a detective show on the television. Even when it tries to pack some thrill, the plot is so obvious that you can almost make out what has really happened. performances from Wahlberg and Crowe are decent although we have seen better from them. Catherine zeta Jones is absolutely wasted. when you watch the movie, you get a feel that you have seen this before as there's hardly anything new to offer. overall watchable once you start watching it but why should you in the first place? give it a miss. you wont miss nothing.

An Admirer

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 20 January 2013]

Ex-Detective Mark Wahlberg has an admirer, someone no less than the Mayor of New York Russell Crowe. Wahlberg was indicted and the charges dismissed for lack of evidence that he killed Luis Tolentino, a rapist who skipped on a technicality. It may have been justice, but it was hardly legal and it cost Wahlberg his badge.

Seven years later Wahlberg is now scratching out a living as a private detective doing the kind of work that Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe did in between the novels that Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler wrote about them. Wahlberg even has an Effie like secretary in Alona Tal. Who should call but the mayor himself who wants him for a disagreeable job. He suspects his wife of infidelity and it's now election time and he has a tough race against Councilman Barry Pepper. Crowe wants to know exactly the who and where and when of his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones's rendezvous. This apparently is what Wahlberg is specializing in now.

He finds whom she's meeting with and its Kyle Chandler the campaign manager for Pepper. But believe me it's not all that it seems and soon there's murder and municipal corruption involved. And Wahlberg's own past comes back to haunt him.

Although this is a Wahlberg produced film as well, Crowe really dominates this film as one evil man who is running the Big Apple. He's the one you're thinking about throughout the film. He's your typical free enterprise capitalist who has no shame at all in ripping off the city and pocketing whatever he can. His campaign revolves around the fact that he's reduced the city deficit and turned it into a surplus. It's how he's done it that will revolt you if you have decent instincts. In fact it's revolted his wife which is why Zeta-Jones is behaving as she does.

I would also like to single out Alona Tal who must have watched The Maltese Falcon and took her cues from what Lee Patrick did as Humphrey Bogart's secretary. Both those women liked their bosses and you hope the two would realize that.

Broken City is a good action story and Wahlberg producer gave Wahlberg actor a great vehicle. I think Mark's fans will enjoy this and others will as well.

a liberal bedtime story

[rupie · 2/10 · 16 February 2014]

This movie is nothing more than a scaffolding on which to hang a tiresome collection of clichéd liberal nostrums. The characters, as well, are cardboard stereotypes. We know right from the first scene in the office of the mayor that he's going to be the bad guy. Why? Well, just look at how tough-on-crime he is. We have the standard liberal line of "developer as villain" (aren't they all?). And then when the gay issue is injected it's clear the "good guys" will be gay. And how stunningly obvious, to the point of silliness, that the "good" mayoral candidate's name is "Jack Valliant." Puh-leeeez! The clincher to this view of the movie is the extended excerpt from the mayoral debate, which does absolutely zero to advance the plot. The whole point is to show us how the bad guy wants lower taxes, and the good guy wants to - wait for it - "tax the rich." I guess the viewer is not supposed to be paying attention because Valliant claims to want do this to close the budget deficit, when 30 seconds earlier it's been made clear the budget is in surplus. Details, details. Wahlberg and Crowe do their usual good jobs, and the suspense is fairly well maintained, but it's not enough to counter the liberal sermonizing and some pretty clumsy plot devices. I'm waiting for Hollywood to be really radical, and come up with a movie where the villain is gay, or a prochoice activist, or an environmentalist, and the hero is a Republican or a developer. But I'm not holding my breath.

Not so broken

[banbroview · 8/10 · 18 February 2020]

The reviews wrongly criticised what is actually a great film. Then again if you put Russell Crowe, the increasingly watchable Walberg and the always riveting Jeffrey Wright, it's highly likely that it will be at least good

Add arguably Catherine Zeta Jones's best performance since Traffic and it's well worth the watch

Not as bad as all that

[Ranbud · 7/10 · 27 January 2013]

First off, reading the reviews would put me off for wanting to see the movie. After seeing it, it was really not all that bad. For the most part it was an entertaining movie that had predictable portions, but Wahlberg does these type of predictable movies, but it is still entertaining. A night out with a loved one, popcorn and a soda watching a movie that at least keeps you entertained, what more do you need? The car chase was done in the new Hollywood style like your in the car and the camera is getting bounced around like it was you in the car, I am not a fan of this style that is showing up more and more. It is hard to get focused when the picture is jumping around so much. This was not done in a style to receive possible Oscar nominations, but it was certainly an entertaining movie that keeps you involved and not falling asleep, and that is what movies are supposed to be, right? If it came out later on TV, would I watch it again, Yes!

Dreck

[allieferraro · 2/10 · 25 January 2013]

This movie is a ridiculous mess . The script was awful , made no sense , left plot lines hanging. Horrible waste of actors I like. That being said, only Crowe made an effort in this stupid movie and it wasn't very much of an effort . Walhberg is an alcoholic who stopped drinking 7 years ago , he breaks with his wife--with absolutely no groundwork laid for this breakup , they seemed very much in love until the breakup, and he just starts drinking. No one says anything about it , he handles the alcohol fine , and we never see the wife again and she doesn't seem to entire Walhberg's mind. It's so stupid that I can't even go into all the things that don't make any sense. Just save your money and see something else , this will just make you mad.