Mark Wahlberg plays a hardened NYC cop (is there any other kind?), who turns private detective after an on-duty controversy. He's hired by the city's sketchy mayor (Russell Crowe) to conduct a personal investigation. This results in the inevitable paranoid political complications. While nothing here is particularly original or surprising, it's well crafted and never drags or loses interest.

Good acting by the cast and the twist that happens mid-way through the film really keeps things fresh and puts you back on your toes to see how it plays out. I thought it was a rather enjoyable movie. I'd recommend it.

Mark Wahlberg has made a career out of gritty crime dramas but ultimately all of them are lackluster. Broken City doesn't really break that trend although it does have enough good qualities to make it worth a watch. The film follows Billy Taggert (Wahlberg), an ex cop turned private eye who is employed by the mayor of New York City (Russel Crowe) to investigate his wife's infidelity but the case ultimately leads to a minefield of death, danger and corruption. Firstly it must be said that Broken City continues the career resurgence of Catherine Zeta Jones whose work in both this and Side Effects is exemplary despite the small nature of both roles. In fact the acting in Broken City is excellent, especially that of Wahlberg himself. The only problem is Crowe who has the tendency to play a scene straight and then suddenly turn camp, he is inconsistent throughout and therefore the film really doesn't have a convincing or reliable villain, something that makes the film suffer in its closing. Another flaw is that much like Killing Them Softly, it's political commentary is quite heavy handed and in places incredibly insulting. The central mystery feels more like economics 101 than a story in a thriller and to be honest its fairly hard to call the film a thriller with only a couple of action based sequences in the entire film. It's a decent redemption story but its buried beneath a simplistic mystery and a disappointing script which doesn't really reach the gritty levels it strides for but can impress in its politics and acting, just not its storytelling.… Expand

Broken City is a very good movie but it's not the type of movie I thought it would be. That's not to say the trailers misrepresented the film in any way, only that Mark Wahlberg isn't known for his political thrillers. That being said, this was a very good political thriller with solid acting across the board, especially from Russell Crowe. The characters all developed well and the plot was great. The twists came about in a nice fashion, not out of left field where nobody could possibly see them coming, which has unfortunately become a trend in the increasingly uncreative Hollywood climate. The film did drag quite a bit and the ending felt a bit rushed when it happened but I'd say all-in-all this was a solid film that most people would enjoy.… Expand

"Broken City" quickly descends into a quicksand of clichés--much like "Gangster Squad", "Broken City" aspires to the likes of "Chinatown"-and the results are meager and insubstantial. Mark Wahlberg stars a Billy Taggart, a New York cop forced to resign after a controversial shooting. But Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crow) has his back. He hires Billy, now a private investigator, to caatch Mrs. Mayor (Catherine Zeta-Jones) screwing around. What seems like a simple adultery case opens a rat's nest of political corruption.
Though it's not a long movie, it feels a little long, as though things were being tagged on, or as if the screenwriter was making it up on the fly. It's never boring, but it lacks an accumulative impact. The plot, frankly, is a little confusing. Four or five subplots wander off into oblivion, and it's occasionally hard to tell whether Hughes is winking at clichés, or merely adhering to the genre handbook. The script written by newcomer Brian Tucker is a bloody mess that has no sense of direction. Throughout the film, we're led to believe there will be some big "reveal" a twist or secret that will cause us to gasp in shock. When it comes, it's so muted and unsurprising that it diminishes the film's climax. In the right role, Mark Wahlberg can be a tremendous asset to any movie. Unfortunately, Billy is not the right role. Wahlberg is stiff and unconvincing and it quickly becomes apparent that the film would have benefitted from someone with a more volcanic temperament in the lead. As his adversary, Russell Crowe brings a little more to the part, but this isn't the New Zealand-born actor's finest hour. Catherine Zeta-Jones, continuing her comeback from obscurity, does a fine job. That's not to say the film is all bad. It's competently shot, and while the characters are paint-by-numbers constructions, the actors behind them do their best to give them some life. Sadly, that's not enough. Wahlberg, as well as Jeffrey Wright, dip into their stock character formula too much. It works to a degree for Wahlberg, who is usually at his most enjoyable when he's treading familiar ground. However, Wright just comes across as another grumbling, grumpy old man who hasn't gotten that old yet. "Broken City" is silly and not at all believable. The characters are poorly drawn, but the performances are generally fine. It is a well-made, effective although somewhat of an unremarkable thriller. It is generally well directed. "Broken City" fails to impress, largely because it's a film everyone will have already seen. The performances aren't exceptional (although Crowe does arrogance to a tee) and the plot line is the usual Big City corruption story. That said, "Broken City" is not a terrible film just not particularly memorable.… Expand

I enjoy a really good, intelligent thriller. Unfortunately there are usually only one or two a year that end up fitting that criteria. Broken City is not one of them in 2013. There are many good actors in this film but all are wasted here. The films first half hour is not bad but quickly falls off the rails. Much of the story is predictable, and what isn't is put together for our protagonist in a boring unbelievable way.… Expand

I got exactly what I expected out of this film. A Russell Crowe fading in his career, Mark Walberg replaying the role of blue collar tough guy, a plot that is interesting but stitched together with no character or plot line fully developed, and story twists dropped in with no plausibility. It's called January in the theater. You have seen this story of the corrupt mayor and the inner city politics a thousand times so don't expect anything new and different. In a way, it is sort of sad, considering that much talent. That said, I actually enjoyed it versus sitting at home.… Expand

The story was somewhat interesting and the acting was very good all around. My main issue is that the plot is difficult to follow at times and the motivations for some of the characters' actions (the mayor, the commissioner, the mayor's wife, etc) don't really get explained until the very end. It takes a long time to develop and as you sit there watching you get caught up thinking about why things are happening. The film could have been put together better because in the end it keeps throwing new "twists" making the plot overcomplicated.… Expand

I guess Hollywood thinks we'll watch any old piece of trash it throws up on the screen. They got my money. Congrats. Movie is devoid of original thinking and most of the acting is stale. The screenplay was as artfully written as furniture assembly instructions. I seriously question the critical thinking skills of anyone who thought this was a good movie.By the way, Zeta-Jones isn't hot anymore and since she never could act I was hoping to see her fade away. No such luck though.… Collapse

Wahlberg sleepwalks through another feature role here. The movie drags and the plot becomes thin. Save yourself some time and watch an episode of Law Order.

I'm always baffled that Hollywood casts overexposed stars like Catherine Zeta Jones, who are constantly being exposed in magazines and tv, and then wonder why the audience is pulled out of the movie and don't like the movie. I'm just going to have to face the fact that anything with a Hollywood wife in it is not going to be a good movie (can you say Nicole Kidman).

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.

Score: 7/10… Expand

Broken City is worth watching if you like watching movies; however, you might set yourself up for disappointment if you have high expectations. No singular part of this movie is folly or apathetic, but the story and performances aren't the ones you will recommend when someone asks you, "what's the best movie out right now?"

Just your average run of the mill January release. Broken City has good ideas, but they are badly executed, resulting in a dull experience. The actors are ok, but don't expect Oscar-worthy performances. Aside from the already messy story, there are some sub-plots that are less interesting than watching paint dry. Dialogue is cringe-worthy at times since it seems taken from a Ben Stiller comedy. It's the kind of film that you remember you saw, but after a couple of hours you can't tell anything about the plot because of how forgettable it is.… Expand

A contrived crime drama that feels like it was written by a first time screenwriter during a screenwriting 101 class. Expect the big name actors in this picture to make it a sure-fire hit on Redbox.

Your standard action/drama............well actually somewhat below standard.......the plot line is obvious......ex-cop gets hired by corrupt politician to do something.....cops finds out more than he should and starts asking questions.........the dialog is painfully dry and obvious and even the mock political debates are just ripoffs of last year's newspaper headlines...........the acting....directing is okay.....but nothing out of the ordinary......I'm quite shocked that actors like Russel Crowe and Barry Pepper would agree to do mediocre stuff like this...........to sum up.....it's not good....it's not interesting....it's barely even entertaining.… Expand

Mostly entertaining but nearly always stupid. Persons in front of the camera and behind it seem to make a senseless (or nonsensical) decision at every turn. It's hard to enjoy the film too much when you spend so much of your time rolling your eyes.

Not as good as it intends to be, considering that Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones are in it, but it is still a fun movie to watch.

Do not miss out on this movie! I thought Marky Mark would just be OK, but this movie will leave you breathless and Speachless at the same time. Should have been nominated for the Oscars.