Broken City
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: January 18, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
24
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Film.comStephanie ZacharekFeb 26, 2013
If Broken City – the first film to be directed solo by Allen Hughes, one-half of the Hughes Brothers directing team – is a little flawed and cracked itself, it still squeaks by as a reasonably thoughtful piece of big-screen entertainment. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaJan 17, 2013
Wahlberg does what Wahlberg does, bringing muscular conviction to his troubled, tough-guy role. The city may be broken, but the movie star's formula is working fine. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 16, 2013
It's pretty trashy and sometimes stupid. But there was never a moment when I wasn't entertained on one level or another. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 18, 2013
It is a movie that's alive in its own way, and a welcome surprise in a genre sorely lacking in them of late. Read full review
70
The New York TimesManohla DargisJan 17, 2013
Hughes visual choices can feel borrowed and clichéd, but his regard for beauty often compensates for his blunders, as does the sturdy, reliable appeal of another story of good and evil, men and women, light and dark, glass and steel, sex and power. As it turns out, there are eight million and one stories in the naked city. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleLeah ChurnerJan 16, 2013
Hughes creates a white-knuckle scene from a mayoral debate about zoning policy. You could've heard a Skittle drop in the packed house screening I attended. That, and Broken City's terrifyingly realistic car chase – another throwback to vintage Hughes – are alone worth the price of admission. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJan 16, 2013
The truth is that we're way past being outraged by these sorts of Crimes of the One Percent, not because they don't happen, but because the real version is so much more interesting. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreJan 30, 2013
Director Allen Hughes ("The Book of Eli") hides the secrets well and stages a good fight and chase. But what's most entertaining about Brian Tucker's script is the lived-in feel it has. Read full review
63
Washington PostStephanie MerryJan 17, 2013
Overall, this is an entertaining diversion. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 17, 2013
For an hour or so, aided by the autumnal glow of Ben Seresin's cinematography, director Hughes maintains a firm handle on the story's turnabouts. Then the script goes a little nuts with coincidence and improbability. Read full review
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