Review: Broken City

Film reviews: Broken City

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Director: Alan Hughes

An unscrupulous mayor running for election can be counted on to not let his wife's infidelity stand in the way. A cop who has shot a man he believes guilty of rape in cold blood, and then acquiesced to hiding of evidence, can be counted on to look the other way. But look how surprised we are supposed to be at the chances of this happening!

Broken City is a vehicle for Wahlberg, who is also the producer, in another wronged former cop-with-a-golden heart role. But with Crowe as the dirty politician, it is he who deliciously walks away with this film. You are left cringing at how the devious fiend is made to stand low by a plot that seemingly unravels at the landing of a few blows by Wahlberg's cop Billy, who moves through town leaving a trail as good as bread crumbs behind him.

The city is New York, the seat up for grabs is its mayor's position, at stake is $4 billion and the woman being tailed is the mayor's wife Cathleen played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mayor Hostetler (yep, that's his name, played by Crowe) is in some dirty deals over a poor housing colony he is about to demolish, but is more concerned about the cheating Cathleen. So he turns to Billy, whom he once saved from certain prosecution for shooting an alleged rapist. The former cop turns up photos of the wife with a guy, who turns out to be the campaign manager of the rival mayoral candidate. Guess what? The campaign manager ends up dead and Billy starts having moral pangs.

In between, Cathleen ominously warns Billy that the affair is not about sleeping around – far from it.

... contd.

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