***All Politics Is Local-Russell Crowe’s Broken City- A Film Review

 

 

 

DVD Review

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

Broken City, starring Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, Catherine Zeta-Jones, 20^th Century Fox, 2013

The late Massachusetts Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neil, was always fond of saying that all politics was local, meaning, perhaps, that the great struggling issues of the day did not mean a thing if some constituent’s potholed street was not paved. The truth of that proposition, if it ever was true, has certainly been eclipsed on the national and international levels by the huge increase in media technology’s ability to create messages and sway opinions. The one place that Tip statement may still retain some validity is, well, at the local level, at the level of city politics. And that premise was on display in the film under review, Broken City, although one could argue that the city involved, New York City, as an international city would conform to that latter statement.

So be it, though the story line of this film pits an old-time machine up from the ward- heeler ranks to the mayor’s office politician played by Russell Crowe against a wet behind the ears reformer. His honor is up for a tough reelection campaign against that same inevitable clay-footed liberal reformer. So every trick in the urban politician’s handbook comes into play. That and a little murder, mayhem, and dirty tricks. Just like the doctor ordered. Except this film is billed as a suspense film and so the plotline has to be developed a little.

His Honor finds that he needs to purchase the services of an ex-cop, a rogue cop, (played by Mark Wahlberg) who after being pushed off the force for using excessive force became a private operative with a specialty in keyhole peeping. Seems that, on the surface anyway, the Mayor was trying to find out about who his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) was having an affair with behind his back and thus placing him in an awkward political position with Election Day right around the corner. And so our key-hole peeper does his work, does it well, except a guy, the supposed lover who also is the campaign manager for that reform candidate eating into the Mayor’s gravy train is murdered right in front of his house, an obvious political “hit” job.

Of course that event turned things on their heads since our key-hole peeper was set-up by the Mayor to be the fall guy, and/or patsy to the real grift, a huge pot of gold for the Mayor and his cronies with the turning of a low-rent neighborhood into a high- rise city skyline playground for the Mayfair swells. Despite the reform candidate, despite the ordered murder, despite the graft and corruption come Election Day the Mayor wins. Except in the background our hero private operative gets the goods on the Mayor’s deal, fills in the dots, and His Honor is finally led off to his just desserts. Yeah, you know Tip might have been right even, maybe especially about New Jack City, follow the money, all politics is local on that score.