Today’s quick review: Broken City. Seven years after a shooting ended his police career, Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) has been making ends meet as a private detective. But when Nick Hostetler (Russell Crowe), the Mayor of New York, hires him to follow his wife Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to see if she’s having an affair, Billy finds himself in the middle of a political power struggle that could shake the city to its foundations.
Broken City is a crime drama about a private detective who becomes embroiled in the political machinations of the New York mayoral election. With Hostetler’s opponent, Councilman Jack Valliant (Barry Pepper), running neck and neck with him in the polls, it’s up to Billy to dig up the information Hostetler needs to win. Broken City has an intricate story that combines elements of crime drama, political drama, and mystery into a satisfying whole.
Broken City’s distinguishing feature is its plot. The movie sets effective hooks without seeming to, starting with a police shooting, moving on to a clandestine affair, and finally expanding into a full-blown conspiracy surrounding the mayoral election. The plot has interesting twists and turns without relying too heavily on artificial drama. Just letting the different factions play out their hands gives the film plenty of intrigue.
Broken City also benefits from believable characters who run the gamut of backgrounds and motivations. Billy Taggart is an efficient detective with a shady past. Nick Hostetler is a charismatic politician with an unscrupulous streak. Jack Valliant is his altruistic opponent, while his wife Cathleen harbors her own plans, separate from her husband’s. Their interactions follow naturally from who they are as people and form the basis of the plot.
Broken City is a solid pick for fans of the investigative side of the crime genre. Neither its story nor its characters are as compelling as the best films in the genre, but they are enough to make it a complete package. The combination of a tangible mystery and agency for its characters gives Broken City just the tools it needs. Skip it if you’re looking for a film that goes all-in on mystery or action rather than taking a balanced approach.
For a political investigation in a similar vein, try State of Play. For a crime drama about police corruption, try Pride and glory, Dark Blue, or Brooklyn’s Finest. For a legal drama with similar stakes, try Primal Fear.
6.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a well-crafted story.