Mildly entertaining but contrived "Broken City"
Part political thriller, part moral lesson and part crime drama, "Broken City" is an all-too familiar, over-ambitious and muddy vehicle for its stars, Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg. An NYPD ex-cop-turned-private eye (Wahlberg) is thrown headfirst into a hotbed of trouble after a mayor (Crowe) hires him to look into his cheating wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and uncovers a much bigger scandal than he anticipated. Directed by Allen Hughes ("The Book of Eli"), "Broken City" is a contrived political-crime drama with a little too much to say about the decay of society. Unfortunately, Hughes seems to have bit off a little too much and seems a little in over his head here, wasting a solid cast and what could've been an effective drama. After a solid start, it becomes too predictable in the last act, though it's peppered with a few decent scenes, though the big climax is a bit of a letdown, much like the movie itself. Crowe, Wahlberg and Zeta-Jones seem to go through the paces, which only adds to the disappointment of the film. January, much like September, seems to be a time to burn off bad movies; " Broken City," aptly enough, is a glossy piece of junk that isn't worth your time unless you're fans of Crowe or Wahlberg.
Wes's Grade: C-
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