Broken City (2013) Film Review

Formulaic Plot And Familiar Characters, But It's Still Fun (*** Out Of ****)

Cast: Mark Whaleberg, Russel Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffery Wright, Barry Pepper, Alona Tal, Natalie Martinez, Michael Beach and Kyle Chandler.

Directed By: Allen Hughes.

Rated R For Pervasive Langauge, Some Sexual Content And Violence.

1hr 49min/109min.

111 Uses of the F-word.

Mark Whaleberg may not be the best actor in hollywood right now, but he does turn out some fun and entertaining films. In 2012, he turned out films like The fun and thrilling Contraband and the hilarious Ted, but with Broken City, it seems like he's playing the typical tough, pretty boy with some of the most cliched back-story I have ever heard. But it somehow fits in a movie like this. It seems very odd pairing him up with a big time, Oscar-winning actor like Russel Crowe. But they actually work together. If you couldn't tell from the trailer, you would know that Mark Whaleberg is the good guy and Russel Crowe is the bad guy.

Billy Taggart(Mark Whaleberg) is stripped of his duties from the FBI Due to an icident whether he murdered someone due to self-defense or just straight-up murder. He is then appointed as a Private Investigator and is hired by the Mayor Nicholas Hostetler(Russel Crowe) who wants to find out if his wife(Catherine Zeta-Jones) is having an affair or not, all the while, Hostetler is trying to get re-elected.

The plot is something we have seen before with all of the generic and predictable plot twists, but this film has the right actors playing the part of these characters. Mark Whaleberg is good as the tough, pretty guy, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is decent as the rich girl who can get anything she wants. But the standout performer is Russel Crowe as the two-faced Mayor. He gives out a tremendous performance however the only downfall is that this film runs 109 minutes and Crowe is only in the film for about 25 minutes. He disappears many times throughout the film and leaves you feeling a little cheated.

Is Broken City worth your time and money. Yes and No. Yes because you will see great performances by the two lead actors and No because it just feels like all of the political thrillers out there. Even though I said this film was good I would just say either rent or buy this film when it comes out on DVD or Blu-Ray. It's Good Popcorn entertainment

-Kyle Haines, Film Critic