Russell Crowe – Pulp Diction

The musical is a tricky film to do well and over recent years, we have seen numerous avenues to the musical. We have over-the-top operatic productions like Moulin Rouge and we have indie darlings like Once that focus on the soundtrack over production value. We also have more artistically flexible works like Chicago, which recently (though probably unjustly) took home the Academy Award for best picture in 2002. Sure to be baiting Oscar votes this year as well is recently crowned Best Director Winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, probably another unjustly won Oscar) and his take on Les Miserables.

Based off the Victor Hugo novel and the hit musical, Les Mis tells the tale of escaped convict turned mayor, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman, Australia, X-Men) and his quest to find redemption during revolutionary France by becoming the guardian of Cosette (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!), the daughter of the poverty-stricken, prostituted Fantine (Anne Hathaway, The Dark Knight Rises, Rachel Getting Married). Throughout his quest, the pragmatic inspector Javert (Russell Crowe, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Broken City) is hot on his tail to reveal his true identity and return him to a life of indentured servitude.

Capturing the essence of this musical is no easy feat. The musical has been a commonplace in the Broadway scene for over 30 years. It’s become a cornerstone of the musical theater community, with such lofty aspirations it never quite translated to film.
Tom Hooper chose to live record his singers, in the hopes to translate a rawer and more emotional texture to the film. However, none of the actors were really able to take advantage of this directorial choice, aside from Anne Hathaway’s rendition of “I Dream a Dream.” For a film that crucially hinged on a sublime cast of singers, the reality was quite underwhelming.

The direction was at best quite the mixed bag. While Hooper was able to capture some transportative wide angle shots of an exhausted revolutionary Paris, it was incongruently paired with close ups during each actor’s solo. While this effect was intended to create a more personal atmosphere, the result was quite jarring and unfocused.

The producers of Les Mis certainly knew how to market the hell out of the movie. The bravado and emotionally leading script were the perfect lure for a family Christmas movie as well as Oscar votes. The film is a nice piece of escapism for a holiday atmosphere and will certainly live in the hearts of the original musical’s devotees, but ultimately will fail to stand the test of time in the cinematic canon. The mere fact that in such a tight Oscar race Les Mis beat out more inspired works like The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Sessions, has left us quite miserable.

On the plus side, Russell Crowe doesn’t sing

It’s been seven years since Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) had to quit the police force after shooting an unarmed youth. As election season draws to a close in modern-day New York City, Taggart’s private detective business isn’t doing great. That is until Mayor Nicholas Hostetler (Russell Crowe) offers Taggart a hefty $50,000 to follow Cathleen Hostetler, his unfaithful wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But Billy soon realizes that the mayor is keeping his own secrets.

“Broken City” has all the makings of a great crime thriller: political intrigue, melodrama, grit, and twists from every angle. The film tries its hardest to deliver some stunning noir intrigue. But in the end, the movie aspires to do far more than it can manage, and like the politics it portrays, feels detached and staged.

In addition to the main plot, Wahlberg’s character deals with alcoholism and the premiere of his girlfriend’s indie film career. These are certainly plotlines that could add some real depth to a character — if they went anywhere. Both of the side stories are dropped halfway through the movie, with no explanation of why they were there in the first place.

You start to lose count of how many drinks Billy (that’s right, the reformed alcoholic — a plot hole none of the characters seem concerned with) throws back during overly intense conversations with his associates.

And that’s only Billy’s side of the plot puzzle. Once the film dives into the actual drama, it’s too confusing to feel anything but gimmicky.

The cast doesn’t quite make up for what the writing can’t accomplish. While Crowe gives a certain megalomania to Mayor Hostetler, few others manage to bring much life to their characters. While it’s entertaining enough to watch Billy trail the mayor’s wife across town, Wahlberg is little more than a blank, muscled slate that “Broken City” needs to advance its plot. He’s a glorified stand-in the film needs to untangle the web of lies.

Somewhere between the dropped plot lines and the less-than-inspired writing is an honest attempt at elaborate intrigue. But by focusing too much on complicating the plot, the writers forgot to ground it with real characters.

Any interesting political commentary “Broken City” could’ve made on political corruption, economic crisis, gentrification, or police brutality is lost amid a sea of exaggerated drama. Once the initial framework develops, it’s all scene after scene of melodrama and gratuitous intensity.

Sure, the film manages a zinger and a twist here and there, but with so much nonsense to wade through, there’s too much broken in this movie to move it beyond a popcorn flick.

The verdict: Unnecessarily complicated, this movie cannot be taken seriously despite all of its hard work.