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Subscribe to weekly newsletter » times & tickets in theaters Fandango Search movie Broken City showtimes and buy LUV tickets. Broken City Mama West of Memphis by Richard Roeper / January 16, 2013 more current releases » about us When people ask me about one-minute movie reviews About the site » a particular movie, they cast & credits don't say, "Are the still playing Site FAQs » performances transcendent?" Or "is the Billy Taggart Mark Wahlberg Contact us » direction sublime?" Or "is Mayor Hostetler Russell Crowe Wuthering Heights The American Scream this an engrossing, life- Cathleen Catherine Zeta-Jones Amour Email the Movie enriching experience?" Colin Fairbanks Jeffrey Wright Answer Man » Anna Karenina Jack Valliant Barry Pepper The Bay They ask, "Is it any good?" Paul Andrews Kyle Chandler Broken City That's what they always on sale now Sam Lancaster Griffin Dunne Brooklyn Castle say. Natalie Natalie Martinez The Central Park Five Chasing Ice I can't tell you with a Chasing Mavericks 20th Century Fox presents a film straight face "Broken City" Citadel is "any good," but I can directed by Allen Hughes. Written Cloud Atlas make the case you'll have a by Brian Tucker. Running time: 109 Fat Kid Rules the World good time even when the minutes. Rated R (for pervasive The Flat screenplay is breaking bad. language, some sexual content and Flight violence). Francine You look at that cast — Gangster Squad Oscar winners Russell Generation P Buy now » Hitchcock Crowe and Catherine Zeta- Holy Motors Jones, Oscar nominee Hyde Park on Hudson Mark Wahlberg, terrific The Impossible supporting players such as Printer-friendly » Keep the Lights On Barry Pepper, Kyle E-mail this to a friend » Killing Them Softly Chandler, Jeffrey Wright A Late Quartet and Griffin Dunne — and Life of Pi you figure at least some of Lincoln these actors read the script, The Loneliest Planet Buy now » and thought, OK, I'll sink my LUV teeth into this one, even if the cheese gets pretty binding at times. Mama The Matchmaker From a lurid plot sometimes so predictable they could have inserted Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House of God New Jerusalem subtitles issuing a spoiler alert warning of Russell Crowe's thuggishly Nobody Walks over-the-top performance as a power-thirsty New York mayor, Older Children "Broken City" is the sworn enemy of subtle. Directed by Allen Hughes The Other Son (who has teamed up with his brother on films such as "Menace II Playing for Keeps Society," "From Hell" and "Book of Eli"), this is a big, juicy, sometimes Pusher Buy now » clunky political crime thriller that plays like a 21st century B-movie. Red Dawn Rise of the Guardians It's pretty trashy and sometimes stupid. But there was never a A Royal Affair moment when I wasn't entertained on one level or another. moment when I wasn't entertained on one level or another. Scrooge & Marley The Sessions Mark Wahlberg has the Mark Wahlberg role as Billy Taggart, a Shun Li and the Poet streetwise, temperamental but basically goodhearted New York City Silver Linings Playbook cop who's forced to resign from the force after a controversial Sister shooting. Skyfall Somewhere Between Flash forward to seven years later. Billy is scraping out a living as a Starlet Buy now » low-level private detective — peeping into windows, taking photos of Struck by Lightning guys cheating on their wives, that sort of thing. Tales of the Night This Must Be the Place Not that life is too rough. Waiting at home for him, with candles and The Trouble with the Truth warm baths and many kisses, is the beautiful, aspiring actress The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Natalie (Natalie Martinez), who fell in love with Billy when he came Wake in Fright through for her family after they suffered a horrific tragedy. West of Memphis Wreck-It Ralph Zero Dark Thirty Still, Billy jumps without thinking when he gets a call from Mayor Hostetler (Crowe), who summons Billy to his richly paneled office and more current releases » Buy now » offers him a tricky job with a big payday.

Boom! Just like that, Billy is plunged into a world of relationships that on dvd aren't what they seem (though we usually figure that out well before Billy does), shady political deals and a mayoral campaign so vicious new on dvd Rahm Emanuel would be shaking in his shoes. Hostetler's more like a beefy, modern-day Nucky Thompson than a slick politician, his more new on dvd » eyes in permanent malevolence mode as he stomps through the city like Godzilla in Prada. coming on dvd Buy now » Hostetler's wife, Cathleen — played by Catherine Zeta-Jones as if she watched one too many 1950s film noirs in her trailer while getting more coming on dvd » her hair and makeup done — is up to something shady. Is she having an affair, as the mayor claims, or is it something deeper? Well, she great movies on dvd actually pulls Billy aside at one point and basically tells him what's going on, but he still doesn't buy it. Come on, Billy! more great movies on dvd » We also get Jeffrey Wright as the police commissioner, whose intentions are well disguised; Barry Pepper as Hostetler's opponent, Buy now» whose name is actually Jack Valliant, I kid you not, and Kyle Chandler as Jack's slick campaign manager. Meanwhile, there's a mostly irrelevant subplot about Billy's girlfriend and the seemingly NC-17 indie film she's doing, and did I mention Billy hasn't had a drink in seven years but he's about to fall off the wagon?

Oh, and there's a lot of flirtatious banter between Billy and his gorgeous, wise-cracking assistant, played by Alona Tal. (Now there's a name, Jack Valliant!) I looked up Alona Tal because she's such Buy now» crackerjack fun in "Broken City." According to the Internet Movie Database, she was born in Herzlia, Israel, once recorded a song with Wyclef Jean, came in second for the role of "Veronica Mars" and served in the Israel Defense Forces. So there's that.

Back to the madness of "Broken City." Hostetler stands to make millions from one of those real estate deals that will evict thousands of poor people and make way for luxury condos. Billy's hot on the trail, but he can't see the forest for the trees. Just about everyone is hiding one secret, if not more. Shots are fired, punches are Buy now» exchanged, speeches are speechified.

Like many a movie villain, Crowe favors his dog over people. It's a pretty great performance from Crowe, as he throws his ham hands about and lectures everyone who comes within shouting distance. Wahlberg is solid, Wright puts his usual unique spin on his role, and Chandler is so good you want to see more of his character.

This is the kind of cliche-riddled movie where people print out incriminating documents just so someone can find them, and a falling-down-drunk character miraculously sobers up when he's summoned to a crime scene.

Is it any good? No. But yeah.