Part political thriller, part crime caper, with a little romantic drama thrown in, “Broken City” was one of the first big releases, and first bombs of 2013. Mark Wahlberg stars as Billy, a NYC detective who becomes a private eye after an incident that occurred seven years earlier forces him to resign from the police force. When the story then shifts to present day, Billy is asked by the mayor of the city (played by Russell Crowe) for a favor.
The mayor tells Billy he thinks his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is having an affair. He wants Billy to follow his wife and get photos of her and the other man. It’s also election time, and the mayor is in a close battle with an opponent who’s using a shady development deal the mayor just approved to balance the city’s budget against him.
Billy has no idea what he’s getting himself into by accepting the offer to work for the mayor and he’s also having problems with his girlfriend, who has a connection to his past.
The script for “Broken City” lays-out all the pieces, but with a storyline that gets too complex too quickly, there’s no chance it’s all going to come together. The main plot has some promise, but not much more than a typical TV cop show. And the subplots really don’t go anywhere, including a prominent one early in the film that completely disappears (along with a main character) without an explanation.
Wahlberg is clearly in his comfort zone here, having played a cop or detective in at least half of the films on his resume. To me he’s become much more enjoyable in his recent comedy roles, not only “Ted”, but before that “The Other Guys” in which he played….a cop. Crowe seems kinda bored playing the mayor, maybe because he didn’t get to sing. And there’s no tension or energy between the two in their scenes together.
Others in the supporting cast include Barry Pepper, who plays the mayor’s opponent, Jeffrey Wright (from “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”) as the possibly corrupt police chief and Kyle Chandler (who can also be seen right now in Oscar contenders “Argo” and “Zero Dark Thirty”). He’s wasted here. And this is the second time in the last year that Zeta-Jones has played a
mayor’s wife who’s plotting against him. The other was in the musical “Rock of Ages”.
Much of the dialogue in “Broken City” is stiff and predictable and the action is uneventful. There are a few strong moments, but overall this movie disappoints by not delivering enough intensity to keep us fully engaged for close to two hours. Director Allen Hughes provides plenty of close-ups, including in possibly the most awkward, in-your-face political debate scene in movie history between Pepper and a spray-tanned Crowe.
“Broken City” is rated R for language, violence and brief adult content. It’s appropriate for teens and up. Following memorable 2012’s for both Wahlberg and Crowe they begin the new year in this completely forgettable film.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Broken City” gets a C.