It’s time to snuggle up with another cozy and sturdy 2010s thriller. The story is familiar, and so is the cast featuring the likes of Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Broken City is a solid thriller following an ex-cop now turned private detective who stumbles upon a huge mess. A huge mess involving the police commissioner, the mayor, wealthy investors, and all sorts of shady characters. The story is as old as time and is still happening in your town. Now imagine the kind of shit that goes in the metropolises like New York. If all of this reads like neo-noir, you’re right, it’s supposed to be neo-noir.
However, lively and lighthearted direction, along with the lead scream your ordinary mainstream thriller. The first choice for the role of Billy Taggart, a tough cop now working as a PI, was Michael Fassbender. If he got the role, we would’ve been looking at something else entirely. Especially when you count in Crow, Zeta-Jones, and a slew of excellent supporting actors. In a sense, Wahlberg was too real for this role. He feels exactly how I imagine Billy Taggart would feel like if I met him in the real world. Cinema, however, requires a man with a different set of skills. Luckily, the rest of the cast was fucking phenomenal.
I simply have to single out Alona Tal, who plays Billy’s assistant Katy Bradshaw. So, you know what kind of characters to expect, flawed and realistic. I appreciate that they were willing to go there with Billy, especially in the film premiere scene. Ahh fuck it, I’ll tag Broken City as a neo-noir thriller. There is far too much dark stuff here for it not to be there. The story is a bit unnecessarily convoluted, coming off as messy but also full of twists and mystery. Running time is your standard one hour and forty minutes. Quite a digestible choice, if I may notice.
Broken City tries to be both a political thriller and a classic detective story. The subplots feel underdeveloped despite their apparent potential. The Lancaster father/son relationship in particular. It all feels like a relatively flimsy background for our main character to slog through. Kind of like a video game without much substance and NPCs there just roaming about. When I say roaming about, I really mean it, as there won’t be much action here. There are exactly two action scenes, and both of them are rather short. Despite all of this, Broken City will be engaging from start to finish. Especially if you’re looking for something that doesn’t require much attention.
The main plot points feel realistic, and I remember reading about cases like this in the newspapers over the years. Does that sentence make me sound old? I mean, I didn’t read the actual paper newspapers but their online editions, but the point stands. The reason why Billy was hired in the first place and the “secret project” are two of the most familiar themes when it comes to city/political corruption. The iconic New York City setting also provides another layer of familiarity that’s pleasing to the eyes. Pay special attention to the aftermath of the only car chase scene for a location used in many movies you’ve probably seen.
If you’re looking for something leaning more toward the detective and who-done-it side, do check out the television show The Killing. It’s absolutely captivating. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Chinatown, a timeless classic still worth watching. Finally, State of Play, starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, is also a good choice.
Director: Allen Hughes
Writer: Brian Tucker
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Alona Tal, Barry Pepper
Fun Facts: One of the production companies, Regency Enterprises, helmed by Arnon Milchan, wanted a much darker and “edgier” movie in the vein of L.A. Confidential and Heat.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235522/
