Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg face off in 'Broken City' trailer

Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg are two tough cookies who excel at playing characters who just back down from a fight. The pair will butt heads in the upcoming "Broken City," and the brand new trailer gives viewers a glimpse of the tension. 

Wahlberg plays a brutish ex-cop who is assigned by the popular mayor (Crowe) to follow the mayor's potentially adulterous wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Along the way, Wahlberg discovers a much bigger secret that could tear the city apart.

Watch the trailer here: 



Crowe adds a gruff, physically imposing side to what appears to be a the on former NYC mayor Giuliani, while Wahlberg seems to be eschewing his sense of humor for straight-up meanness. It's a combo that should produce some significant dramatic fireworks, even if the plot seems pretty familiar. Zeta-Jones' initial comeback in "Rock of Ages" barely seemed to register with audiences, but her presence here looks promising.

Allen Hughes helmed the gritty-looking drama, and it's his first working without his brother Albert. As The Hughes Brothers, the pair directed "Menace II Society," "From Hell," "Book of Eli" and others. It will be interesting to see how he fares on his own, and he has a stellar cast to work with. Barry Pepper, Kyle Chandler and Jeffrey Wright also star.   

"Broken City" will be released January 18. 

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.