For the most part, we’re used to seeing Russell Crowe play hero types and we root for him to succeed. With his latest film, however, audiences will be treated to a different side of Crowe. In Broken City, the upcoming Allen Hughes-directed film, he’ll be playing a shady politician who has some secrets to hide. He joins Mark Wahlberg, who will play a private detective that gets hired by the mayor of New York City to find out whether his wife is cheating on him. When those suspicions are confirmed, the wife’s lover is found dead and Wahlberg’s private eye becomes involved in uncovering a real estate scandal in which the mayor has dealt himself choice properties. Shooting begins this November for the independently-produced noir drama.

This project interests me partially because the script was on the 2008 Blacklist for the best unproduced screenplays. Even though many of the scripts featured on that list end up as mediocre films overall, there are some worthwhile premises found in them and I’m hoping that Broken City rises above the norm. This certainly seems like a welcome change of pace for Crowe and I look forward to what he’ll do with the villainous role. He brings an intimidating presence to many of his parts already, so adding that to an antagonist role should make for good results. Plus, casting him in a noirish drama draws comparisons to L.A. Confidential, which is good company to keep in my book. What are your thoughts on Crowe playing a villain role after so many heroic portrayals?