Broken City Movie Review

Posted by Charmaine Blake on Jan 17th, 2013 in Crime, Drama, New Releases | 0 comments

Broken City Movie Review

Broken City starring Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe will be showing in theaters this Friday, January 18th 2013. A story about Billy Taggart, ex-cop and now a private eye hired by the mayor of New York City – Nicholas Hotetler (Russell Crowe). Taggart is sent on a mission to keep an eye on the mayor’s cheating wife played by Catherine Zeta-Jones but uncovers a much deeper trouble. This drama film is directed by Allen Hughes and also stars Kyle Chandler, Jeffrey Wright and Natalie Martinez. Check out the movie review for Broken City below:

“An Intriguing Story in the Movie: Broken City

Maybe it’s time to put the idea of bad movies being dumped into January release dates to a rest. This crime drama, which explores the nastiness and sleaziness bubbling just below the surface of New York politics and police departments, is both an actors’ showcase and a crackling good story.

In the midst of a look at a tight mayoral race between the longtime incumbent Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe) and the upstart, much younger rich guy, Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), we get tales of murder and cover-ups and cheating and various other illegal and immoral activities.

Detective Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) was forced to take a fall seven years ago and has since opened up his own private investigator agency. All is going fine for him and his lone assistant, the ditzy but hard-working Katy (Alona Tal). Well except for the fact that his clients aren’t paying him on time. But a call from the mayor, who all those years ago made him step down, brings him some much-needed cash … if he’ll use his P.I. camera to find out who’s sleeping with the mayor’s wife, Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

So begins a series of stories that starts in one unassuming place, leads to another, connects a fact here and there, then proceeds to fire out a succession of them, loading up the script – from first-timer Brian Tucker – with one surprise after another.
But on top of this plethora of plot twists is the added factor that we get to see a parade of characters that not only dislike each other, if some of them had their way, they would have their nemeses rubbed out.

Remember, we’re dealing with cops and politicians here. Oh, wait, we’re also dealing with husbands and wives, and boyfriends and girlfriends, and fathers and sons. It’s rare to see a film so chock full of hatred among both main and minor characters. But it makes for some intriguing viewing, and listening, as practically every bit of dialogue is sharp and believable.

A quick warning for those with delicate ears: There’s lots of salty language. There’s also some harsh violence, but more is threatened than actually committed onscreen. And, for good measure, we get a brief car chase.

Wahlberg has a terrific turn here, showing many sides of his character, generously sharing Taggart’s strengths and weaknesses. Crowe more than makes up for his wooden performance in “Les Miserables” with a combination of laidback appeal and quiet intimidation and, by the way, a heck of a New York accent. Zeta-Jones’ Cathleen is one of the most complicated characters in the film, and she plays it well. It’s too bad that she isn’t given a bit more screen time to flesh it out even more.”

Click here to read the rest at Taunton Gazette

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Charmaine Blake loves movies, musical theater listening to music and taking pictures of anything that she finds interesting. She is a voracious reader and writer, and enjoys her time writing for New Movie Launches. Charmaine loves spending time with her pets and currently has a Siberian Husky, a toy poodle and a cat.