Broken City

***
Release Date: March 1st 2013

In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.

Director: Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli, From Hell)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Pepper

There's a lot to be expected with Broken City; an impressive cast and a storyline that holds premise, but this is not the case. The story is weak, with characters that are forgotten easily. Not only does Mayor Hostetler (Crowe) use and abuse ex-cop/hired investigator Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) to find out if Mrs Mayor (Zeta-Jones) is cheating on him, he's out to dish the dirty on liberal opponent Jack Valliant (Pepper). He's definitely corrupt and will do whatever he can to stay in power, because that's what it's ultimately about, power.

Interestingly Michael Fassbender was offered the lead role as Taggart but turned Wahlberg, who also produced the film, down. Whether that was down to the weak storyline...

Crowe does not live up to the dangerous eminence we expect of this character. Instead, we see someone who tries to hard to be a stand out character in cinema history.

This is not one of Mark Wahlberg's strongest roles either. Taggart is an ex-cop due to shooting and killing someone on the job. He is let free on the basis that he quits the force. Battling his own demons, we see him eventually go off the rails and the choices he makes affect his personal life. Wahlberg teeters on the edge of typecast-dom, but this time round, his character is boring and bland, and by the time being interesting comes around it's too late.

Admittedly the landscapes are fantastic. Nice swooping long shots of New York City at night could not look any nicer. But as soon as we hit lower ground, we are left wanting to hit the skies again. The scenery and lighting set the mood and emotion well.

There are smaller parts from Catherine Zeta-Jones and Barry Pepper whose characters are stronger, but are not plot driven. They are there to drive others, which is a shame as they have potential to be key players, creating unexpected twists. Instead they are involved in an incredibly predictable plot.

Overview: Looks great, but underneath the sheen is an obvious outcome. Tries too hard to be something it isn't.