Broken City

Play trailer

Broken City

R

2013

1h 48m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

152 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Former cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) sees a chance at redemption for past sins when New York City's Mayor Nicolas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) calls on him for a special job. Hostetler thinks his wife, Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones), is having an affair and that it may hurt his chances for re-election. However, a bigger scandal than expected pulls in Billy right at the start of his investigation. Double-crossed by the mayor, Billy begins a relentless quest for justice.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Broken City's thinly sketched, formulaic script offers meager rewards for all but the least demanding noir aficionados.

Read Critics Reviews

Wesley Morris

Grantland

It's a local-government corruption thriller that doesn't care about logic or consistency or the people watching it.

Jan 6, 2014

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

Wahlberg and Crowe. Together at last. So overwhelming. Can't breathe for testosterone. Can't even write complete sentences.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 1, 2013

Full Review

Robbie Collin

Daily Telegraph (UK)

When it comes to long-form tales of political intrigue, television serials are fast encroaching on cinema's patch, and if this very ordinary thriller is the best Hollywood can do, it might as well cede the whole territory.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 1, 2013

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

As it turns out, Broken City is made out of an aluminum chain of recycled Hollywood cookie cutters.

Rated: 2/5

Feb 18, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Not much of anything works in Broken City, making the title more than apt.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 20, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

For me, the biggest problem with “Broken City” reveals itself early and persists through the entire picture. There is practically no fire or energy shown in any facet of movie.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 19, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

bryce c

GIven the absolute TRASH I have seen praised, to see this dissed like garbage? this movie was entertaining and provided twist and sub twist and kept you guessing until the very end. Great script.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/25

Full Review

Daniel L

Es buena película entretenida

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 48 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Some Sexual Content, Pervasive Language and Violence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $19,700,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

Jelisije J

A predictable, but entertaining political thriller that sad to say would have been better if they cut the romantic sub plot from the entirety of the movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/17/24

Full Review

T T

Cool movie. That said, there were multiple plot holes. Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg did a great job. On the other hand, Natalie Martinez was annoying or at least the character she played totally sucked. There were a couple of plot twists and turns that kept the movie interesting and entertaining.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/23

Full Review

Matt P

Wasn't too bad. Considering I've recently seen mile 22 with mark in and that was terrible. Catherine didn't have much to say, and the movie looks a bit dark. Crowe is over the top and trying to bring life or his chapter but that gets in the way. I do think mark has talent and he fit in quite well. I despised the actress in this sorry who cheated. Preferred the blonde who helped marks character in his office. Ah well. Maybe they'll make a follow up that could be interesting.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/12/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Allen Hughes

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Billy Taggart

Russell Crowe

Mayor Hostetler

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Cathleen Hostetler

Jeffrey Wright

Fairbanks

Barry Pepper

Jack Valliant

Runner Runner

8%

33%

Runner Runner

Watchlist

True Story

45%

38%

True Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for True Story

Patriots Day

80%

86%

Patriots Day

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Patriots Day

Out of the Furnace

53%

52%

Out of the Furnace

Watchlist

Prisoners

81%

87%

Prisoners

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Former cop Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) sees a chance at redemption for past sins when New York City's Mayor Nicolas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) calls on him for a special job. Hostetler thinks his wife, Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones), is having an affair and that it may hurt his chances for re-election. However, a bigger scandal than expected pulls in Billy right at the start of his investigation. Double-crossed by the mayor, Billy begins a relentless quest for justice.

Director: Allen Hughes
Producer: Randall Emmett, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Arnon Milchan, Teddy Schwarzman, Allen Hughes, Remington Chase
Screenwriter: Brian Tucker
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Allen Hughes, Emmett/Furla Films, Closest to the Hole, New Regency Pictures, Leverage Communications
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Pervasive Language|Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 30, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.7M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now