The fact that an enviable casting line up cannot make a poor movie worthy to watch is again proved by the Broken City. The 108-minute long movie directed by Allen Hughes, falls short of the expectations that arise from a film which has names like Mark Wahlberg, Russel Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones associated with it.
The movie has it all, a series of twists, unexpected turns in the personalities of lead characters, and well-known stars among other things, yet the characters fail to feel like real people in this detective thriller. The director has tried to introduce some unwanted humor between the scenes as well, which seemingly does not fit.
Wahlberg is Billy Taggart, a former New York police detective who had been kicked off the force and is now enjoying his time with his beautiful girlfriend played by Natalie Martinez. Nicholas Hostetler played by Russell Crowe is a New York city Mayor, up for election in a week’s time.
Hostetler had always supported Taggart and now hires him to spy on his wife, gorgeous Catherine Zeta-Jones. Then begins a series of double crosses that also involves Barry Pepper as Jack Valliant, who is the challenger of Hostetler the police commissioner and a few other politically well connected wealthy people.
All these complications in this twisted script does a lot for them movie, but fails to intrigue the audience.
