Allen Hughes (Menace II Society) shows that he can do the gritty city thriller here in the 21st Century with Broken City. Meanwhile, Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a grand old time getting into their characters and playing the ol’ double/triple cross. It’s a fun film that isn’t tough to follow — a nice bit of work that, considering all the maneuvering these characters get into — but delivers a fast-paced look at corruption and the lengths people will go to cover their tracks.
Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is an ex-cop that quit the NYPD under less-than-perfect circumstances. Seven years later he’s a PI that’s trying to make ends meet, when he gets a call from NYC Mayor Hostetler (Russell Crowe). Who happens to be the former police chief, don’cha know. Seems the Mayor wants Taggart to see who the Mayor’s wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is sleeping with, other than the Mayor. Taggart obliges, but is it about adultery, or is the Mayor after something else?
