Seven years after being accused and cleared of murder, ex-cop Billy (Wahlberg) works as a low-rent New York private eye. Out of the blue, Mayor Hostetler (Crowe) hires him to find out who his wife (Zeta-Jones) is having an affair with before it derails his re-election campaign against passionate rising star Valliant (Pepper). But as Billy digs deeper into the situation, he discovers that there's more than meets the eye. So even when he completes his job, he continues to poke around. Which ruffles a lot of powerful feathers.

There are plenty of interesting things going on here, from eccentric relationships to shady dealings, but the plot narrows in on a property-development aspect that couldn't be duller if it tried. Even as the twisty details emerge, it's impossible to drum up interest when we'd rather know how Billy is going to get over his hot-headed macho stupidity to patch up the relationship with his long-time girlfriend (Martinez).

But director Hughes seems utterly uninterested in this and other promising storylines, abandoning them in lieu of the less-compelling political wrangling. Which removes any interesting character layers. Crowe merely glowers and barks orders, while Pepper looks perpetually on the verge of tears (we find out why, but only just). Zeta-Jones and Wright barely have characters to play at all. Which leaves Walhberg to carry the whole movie.

He does this nicely, making Billy an intriguing mess even if we don't believe his inane over-reactions. Not to mention his ability to drink a bottle of whiskey after seven years on the wagon to no noticeable affect. Also, the action takes place in the last week of October 2012, which we now know was marked by a natural rather than political super-storm. But never mind, Hughes has a strong sense of light and shadow and makes smart use of sets and settings. So even if there's nothing to it, the movie at least looks good.

themes, language, violence

10.Jan.13