What Went Wrong with Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Broken City’ at the Box Office?

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What do you think of when The Black List is mentioned? In the scope of television and movies, the first feature that comes to mind is probably James Spader’s long-running NBC series from 2013. To documentarians and the like, it’s probably The Black List film interview series that aired on HBO years ago. Unbeknownst to many, that same term is connected to something extremely important in Hollywood as well. Originating over 20 years ago and conceived by then-development executive Franklin Leonard, this version of The Black List is a survey (curated by over 500 studio and production company executives) that showcases the “most-liked” but not-yet-produced screenplays.

In the past, this list has had some prominent movies pop up on it, including 2022’s The Menu (which made the list in 2019) and 2024’s Challengers, as well as Lift (released the same year and making an appearance on the list in 2021). As much as this list is useful for studios and massively intriguing for movie enthusiasts, making it onto this list doesn’t necessarily mean box office success. This was very much the case for Mark Wahlberg‘s 2013 film, Broken City.

Appearing on The Black List back in 2008 alongside Inglourious Basterds and Sherlock Holmes, this Allen Hughes-directed crime thriller has a fascinating origin story. Mandate Pictures (now absorbed by Lionsgate) bought the screenplay from writer Brian Tucker earlier that same year. Mandate then collaborated with Mr. Mudd (a production house) to put out one film every year. When that partnership went bottom up for unknown reasons, Broken City literally became broken for three years. Development hell, as they say. In 2011, and at the bequest of Regency Enterprises’ founder Arnon Milchan, who wanted “edgier fare” in his movies. He directly referenced hits like 1995’s Heat and 1997’s L.A. Confidential. As we can clearly tell, this vision did not help.

Mark Wahlberg Plays a Tangled Private Eye in ‘Broken City’

Just like every other movie on that edition of The Black List, Broken City was given a one-sentence excerpt: “A New York City private investigator gets sucked into a shady mayoral election”. Wahlberg stepped into the role of former police officer, now solo detective Billy Taggart, and Crowe played Mayor Nicholas Hostetler. While there is nothing wrong with the acting of the male leads (the more prominent reviews actually praise this aspect), the on-screen story is certainly dull and hits every note you’d expect it to. Taggart’s investigation into Hostetler’s wife’s supposed affair is really something else entirely (just as any synopsis teases), and you never actually come to believe that the main character will outmaneuver a dirty mayor.

Whether we are in Hostetler’s office, Taggart’s small workspace in the heart of the city, or investigating an office building, everything feels old-school, and Broken City’s own mannerisms are inspired by productions of the ’40s and ’50s. Hostetler’s office is filled with darker colors, Taggart’s work is unkempt, and there’s also a bit of sleuthing. Indirectly implied by the casting choices, the pacing is slower than that of more modern-day crime movies as well. Nobody goes too hard with their roles, and numerous scenes are cut right at what could have been the most interesting parts.

Wahlberg’s cool guy and Crowe’s tough guy personas meshed well enough to help carry this movie to a smooth climax, but unfortunately, the overall movie did not do enough to excite crime junkies. At least film critic Robert Roeper said he was entertained, but that was only after he made mention of the movie being “pretty trashy and sometimes stupid”.

‘Broken City’ Unsuccessfully Mixed Visual Looks

Against an estimated $56 million budget, Broken City made less than half of that in domestic revenue. It certainly wasn’t Mark Wahlberg’s doing, as his last thriller (just released a year prior), Contraband, was a box office success. The main difference is that the 2012 film wasn’t crafted according to a cinematic romanticization from another time. You have to wonder if Broken City’s initial push into Mr. Leonard’s publication was due to pure imagination — all the different ways that the past and the present could be merged visually. When reviewing the movie, Hollywood Reporter correspondent Emily Helwig did actually state that the story might have made a better impact as a “period piece.”

There is no question that, instead of trying to pull the story forward in time, original screenwriter Brian Tucker could have switched some modern pieces out and made it similar in style and theme to Gangster Squad or Public Enemies. Hughes’ third film may very well be a box office bomb, but it shouldn’t be disregarded totally. There is a reason why so many studio execs thought so highly of Tucker’s screenplay. It promised a kind of classic suspense from a time gone by.

Did it deliver on that tease of bringing a silver age back to the movie theaters? Unfortunately, Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, and Catherine Zeta-Jones can’t accomplish such a daring feat by themselves. It may not be “most-liked” any longer, but Broken City can still be glued together as an entertaining casual watch. Broken City is streaming on Tubi.

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2025-03-15 21:03