The city – New York. The actors – Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg. The plot – Convoluted, Overly complicated, clunky and strangely gripping…at times.
Broken City limps into cinemas this weekend (on this side of the pond) amidst very little hype and publicity. Which is strange considering it’s stellar cast as mentioned above, which also includes Catherine Zeta-Jones. And if some of the other press are to be believed, this is a very broken movie. That’s a bit unfair to be honest, but this is far from perfect.
Things start off well enough with an introduction to Bally Taggart (Wahlberg) a cop with a history that sees him leave the force and work as a Private Investigator. Hired by Mayor Hostetler (Crowe) to investigate his wife who is allegedly having an affair, all isn’t as it seems. And the rest as they say is spoiler territory. Wahlberg has a solid authority on screen and is quite convincing as a hard nosed, at times hard hitting PI. Kinda like Magnum, but without the Ferrari, Doberman and moustache. The same can be said for Russell Crowe, even if he is sporting an absolutely horrific hair do, which serves as nothing but a distraction. His character is some piece of work and as the movie progresses, so does the dastardly deeds that add up. And while neither lead actors break much of a sweat, neither does Catherine Zeta Jones in a supporting role as the Mayors wife.
Broken City clocks in at 109 minutes, and at one point I looked at my watch thinking at least an hour and a half had passed, but it was closer to fifty odd minutes. The first hour covers alot of ground and feels alot longer than it actually is, but in a strangely positive way. The story is solid, while a bit predictable and Wahlberg and Crowe are decent on screen counterparts, if lacking in a little chemistry. This first 50 minutes sucks you in quite well and even though you’re not quite sure why, it is rather watchable and gripping. And just when things get interesting, in the second half, does Broken City break down. The plot twists and turns but gets nigh on impossible to follow due to things getting overly complicated and convoluted. The second half packs alot in as well, but does it a far greater pace than the previous 60 minutes and as it spins a number of plots out in rapid succession, it just can’t keep up (and neither will you) and falls apart. By the time the credits roll you’ll still be wondering what and who the hell happened.
However, even with a shoddy second half, Broken City’s trump card is it sucks you in during the first half. That’s just enough to push you over the finish line. It’s a shame because the idea is good, the performances are watchable but it just can’t hit all it’s marks. There’s alot worse out there at the moment to while away 100 odd minutes to. Broken City, while not entirely broken, is a little dented and strangely watchable. Granted, if you miss this in the cinema, I wouldn’t be getting too upset!
