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Broken City (15)

Broken City (15)

Crime, Drama, Thriller

In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.


The critical consensus

Forgive some misconceived scenes and weird directorial decisions, and there’s enough charisma and intrigue onscreen for a decent wallow in wickedness.

***(*)(*)Hannah McGill, The List, 11/02/2013

It’s an old-fashioned story of corruption and double-crosses, and even though it reminds you of any number of other, better pulpy variations on this theme, it’s pretty watchable.

***(*)(*)Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 24/02/2013

If this ‘power corrupts’ potboiler had been made in the 1990s — with, say, Andy Garcia, Gene Hackman and Kim Basinger — it would already have felt old-fashioned. Forget it, Jake, it’s no Chinatown.

**(*)(*)(*)David Hughes, Empire Online, 25/02/2013

The results are as jaded and dull as Crowe’s performance.

**(*)(*)(*)Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 28/02/2013

Broken City is fine if you’re in the mood for a by-the-numbers Mark Wahlberg crime drama, but it’s not nearly as smart, slick or subtle as it needs to be. More medium-toasted than hard-boiled.

***(*)(*)Stephen Carty, Flix Capacitor, 27/02/2013

Broken City could have had far more merit if it had been totally reengineered as a Wahlberg campy comedy vehicle. Certainly Broken City should be watched that way, as apart from a few unintentional laughs there is little else save some nice moody noir-inflected colour pallette and camerawork to recommend here.

**(*)(*)(*)Owen Van Spall, Eye for Film, 19/01/2013

[Goes] through the motions.

**(*)(*)(*)Robbie Collin, The Telegraph, 01/03/2013

For much of the time, Broken City doesn't seem to understand what's going on any better than we do.

**(*)(*)(*)Anthony Quinn, The Independent, 28/02/2013

It doesn’t really ring true but it’s fun and well performed.

***(*)(*)Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express, 28/02/2013

A pre-fab facsimile of a hundred better crime movies.

**(*)(*)(*)Xan Brooks, The Guardian, 28/02/2013

Its distinguished actors have all starred in far higher profile films which were far less entertaining.

***(*)(*)Nicholas Barber, The Independent on Sunday, 03/03/2013

It's moderately enjoyable, well acted and both complicated and simplistic.

Philip French, The Observer, 03/03/2013

Where and when?

General release. Check local listings for show times.

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