A lack of creativity has pro- gressively become an issue for Hollywood in recent years. Big wig directors are not necessarily putting out bad films, but they are putting out predictable plot lines that we have seen numerous times before without adding anything to the picture to make them stand out. Sure, there are certainly film- makers out there providing the audience with new and original ideas, but all too often we get a trailer filled to the brim with ex- pectations, only to be let down by a film that just doesn’t stand out. The broken thing about Allen Hugh’s Broken City isn’t that it is a bad film, but there just isn’t a whole lot thrown into the pot that makes this soup memorable. Broken City gives us the age-old tale of corruption and power, in- corporating all of the traditional tools used to set up the story. Mark Wahlberg’s dead-beat private eye/ ex-cop Billy Taggart is the typical faulted protagonist with a regret- table history and his crosshairs set on justice. Wahlberg was a good choice for this part and has great chemistry with Russell Crowe’s power hungry Mayor Hostetler.
Crowe stands out; however I can’t help but think he is better than this film. His role choices have been interesting lately, as he recently starred in Rza’s flop The Man with the Iron Fists. It seems he hasn’t been working to his potential. Hopefully with Man of Steel releas– ing later this year he will reclaim his status as the role of Jor-El. While Broken City has its mo– ments, it is certainly nothing spe– cial. It was enjoyable to watch, but I couldn’t help but think I would have been better off seeing Mama or The Last Stand. If debating whether or not to see it, I wouldn’t advise you against watching it, but rather wait until you can pick it up at your local, handy dandy Red Box.
Tuesday, June 24, 2025