This movie is nothing more than a scaffolding on which to hang a tiresome collection of clichéd liberal nostrums. The characters, as well, are cardboard stereotypes. We know right from the first scene in the office of the mayor that he's going to be the bad guy. Why? Well, just look at how tough-on-crime he is. We have the standard liberal line of "developer as villain" (aren't they all?). And then when the gay issue is injected it's clear the "good guys" will be gay. And how stunningly obvious, to the point of silliness, that the "good" mayoral candidate's name is "Jack Valliant." Puh-leeeez! The clincher to this view of the movie is the extended excerpt from the mayoral debate, which does absolutely zero to advance the plot. The whole point is to show us how the bad guy wants lower taxes, and the good guy wants to - wait for it - "tax the rich." I guess the viewer is not supposed to be paying attention because Valliant claims to want do this to close the budget deficit, when 30 seconds earlier it's been made clear the budget is in surplus. Details, details. Wahlberg and Crowe do their usual good jobs, and the suspense is fairly well maintained, but it's not enough to counter the liberal sermonizing and some pretty clumsy plot devices. I'm waiting for Hollywood to be really radical, and come up with a movie where the villain is gay, or a prochoice activist, or an environmentalist, and the hero is a Republican or a developer. But I'm not holding my breath.
Review of Broken City
