Director Allen Hughes (one half of the Hughes Brothers directing duo) decided he wanted to direct a noir and he (and actor Mark Wahlberg) happened across a script on the Black List written by Brian Tucker.  The movie shot in a combo of New York City for exteriors and Louisiana for interiors.   The end result is a movie that pays homage to the old noirs, but it isn’t as great as the movies BROKEN CITY pays tribute to.   The script has all of the elements that make up a noir, but I can list a half dozen noirs that are better due to the interactions between characters.  BROKEN CITY does move along at a good pace, but I think it could have used a better lead than Wahlberg (even though he loves these types of movies).   Russell Crowe is perfect as the New York City mayor you know not to trust.   He hires disgraced former cop (now private investigator) Billy Taggart (Wahlberg) to follow the mayor’s wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) because he believes she is having a secret affair.   Taggart soon finds out his job has more layers to it and the truth may be bigger than adultery.

BROKEN CITY is a nice movie for a one time rental, but I don’t see as a classic of modern noir.   Taggart has a girlfriend who is soon pushed aside for the plot and she serves as window dressing to fill in the gaps between a few scenes where as Taggart’s secretary gets more room in the script and she comes off a cipher for him to play off.    You have a great cast, but you feel it may have been better to cast many them in different roles in the movie and give Wahlberg other actresses to play with in the film.  Catherine Zeta Jones had better acting roles than the phone in performance she gives here.  Russell Crowe feels at home in his role as the mayor and yet again you never feel like you have an actor to match him in BROKEN CITY.   I don’t feel Wahlberg fits in this movie and I would have been more entertained if they paired the teddy bear from TED against Crowe instead.   Despite the good editing and a script that deserved mostly a different cast, rent this movie or go watch a better noir instead.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER is a multi-part documentary that runs for 33 minutes as it follows the script’s journey to getting made (including ending up on the infamous Black List), casting, and the production itself.   Lots of interviews fill out the documentary as cast and crew talk about the script, production, story, and characters.

The seven deleted scenes feature a few throwaway scenes with Taggart’s girlfriend and an alternate ending which is nothing to write home about.

Rounding out the extras are the original theatrical trailer and sneak peaks for other Fox releases (The East, Marine 3, 3D Blu-ray).

The Blu-ray disc comes in a combo pack that includes the film on DVD in standard definition and a digital copy.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  BROKEN CITY is an average noir fit for one rental and it deserves a different cast to play against Russell Crowe.

This review is (c)4-30-2013 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com