Broken City

A surprisingly well-structured story. It's a criminal heist premise where a gang of 3 thieves (with a 4th 'inside woman' acting as babysitter) rob wealthy households of jewelry and belongings. When they enter the home of a big mark businessman (and his loopy girlfriend who is half his age) , complications make it take longer than expected, tempers flare, and things come to a head. Standout performances from Ria Gill as Maya and Ronnie Angel (former pro wrestler in real life) as Andy. Script by Jonathan Smith shows solid understanding of storytelling for movies. Score by Peter Howard works best during thrilling passages. Def check it out.

Broken City (2023), directed by Terry Spears, is a fairly engaging low budget crime thriller. The plot and its events are pretty unique. The camera work and styling of the film is raw, which I think works in its favor. However, with most low budget films it has its constraints and downfalls. For me, that was the acting, music, set design (or lack thereof), and at times the continuity. Those were the noticeable elements that took me out of the experience.

I really liked how unpredictable the story was though. If you are looking for something different; a unique indie crime thriller with grit, this may just be the one for you.

When I first started watching this film, I did not expect the suspenseful, twisty-turny direction it was going to take! I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath with shockers taking my breath away. Now I can breathe and say wow, that was intense and cool! Even though there were moments where I could tell things weren't perfect, they were few and far between and didn't take away from the story and intrigue. The casting and acting performances were good overall and the characters and their dialogue were pretty believable. I ended up feeling for a lot of the characters. If you like suspense, the crime/heist genre, and you're okay with some violence then I recommend watching this film.

Strong, psychological thriller with totally unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Emotional and scarry. You'll never guess what's coming up next. And the ending gave me chills. I loved the work of Ria Gill, Jonathon M. Smith, Ronnie Angel, and the whole cast were also wonderful. Throughout the movie I caught myself guessing and trying to predict what was going to happen next, and to my surprise I was constantly wrong. I could never anticipate the next twist in the development of the story. The tension and the emotions were building up all away until the last minute and the resolve was absolutely unforeseeable.

Despite the low-budget hustle and a cast of mostly new faces, this drama hits different. Jonathon Smith's gripping tale, paired with a real street vibe, sells this drama big time. Sure, Broken City wears its indie budget on its sleeve, but that's the charm. Having mostly new faces adds to that realness. The lead brings a natural vibe, a real-life weariness that hits deep. Smith, pulling double duty as writer and lead, drops a mix of swagger and moral chaos. This flick dives into the messy world of crime, kicking off with good intentions but spiraling out of control. No winners in this game, and Broken City gets it, keeping it real with gritty empathy.