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Playwright Keith Huff must have studied an awful lot of police dramas on TV, because "A Steady Rain" could easily have been an episode from one of them.

And while he does a fine job loading up the play with melodramatic plot twists and gritty violence, it's hard to believe that this two-hander would have made it this far without the star power of Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman.

The cop thriller marks a return to Broadway for Jackman, who received a Tony Award for his portrayal of Peter Allen in 2004's "The Boy from Oz," and the Broadway debut for Craig.

And, sorry to say, I can't exactly show you what I mean because the production company isn't providing any video.

Jackman is Denny, and Craig plays Joey. Both are Chicago cops, longtime friends and partners, who've been passed up for detective promotions because of what they consider to be reverse prejudice.

Denny is both affable and a foulmouthed hothead – spewing racial slurs. He's married with two young children. Joey is an alcoholic bachelor with a calmer demeanor and a more empathetic nature.

The action takes place during an extended rainy spell in which Denny and Joey find themselves in a downpour of unfortunate developments that play out like a modern Greek tragedy. Despite its high ambitions, it's just too plot-heavy and unbelievable to feel like much more than a good night of TV viewing.

Unlike TV though, the characters break the fourth wall and tell their stories directly to the audience for practically the entire 90-intermissionless minutes. Only occasionally do they address each other. It's an interesting concept that amounts to story theater.

Director John Crowley gives it all its worth, spiking the suspense with fevered pacing aided by Scott Pask's realistic inner city setting.

But, of course, it all comes down to the performances, and both Craig and Jackman are solid stage actors. Craig nails the accent a little bit better than Jackman, who occasionally gives his lines an Aussie inflection. But they handle the clipped banter well, and both are convincing as street-hardened cops.

"A Steady Rain" is at best a modest drama for Broadway that not even the strength of Wolverine and James Bond could turn into must-see theater.

But Jackman and Craig in their first dramatic roles on the Great White Way have certainly earned their stripes, deserving a more worthy vehicle for their superstar talents.