City of Lies: An Exciting New Take!!
Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole has spent years trying to solve his biggest case; the murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur ,but after two decades, the investigation remains open. Jack Jackson, a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies.
This movie had one of the most basic storylines that I had ever come across for a movie. The only thing the movie initially had going on for it was perhaps the fact that it was based on the death of one of the most iconic figures in hip hop history, if not two; Notorious BIG and his arc rival Tupac Shakur. However, that is where all of the basicness ends, for as soon as the movie began rolling, it was apparent the story that the writer and the producer sought to tell was not the usual tale of conflict between two rival hip hop groups, it was one that was deeply seethed in corruption and a lot of cover ups.
Even to the trained eyes, the first pictures in the movie could leave the viewer in no man's land, because it totally diverted the attention of the viewers from where the story was headed. That being said, City of Lies is a movie that thrives not on the excellence of its concept, but on the ingenuity and creative excellence of the story teller.
The manner in which the script was made to lay every fact in the open as the whole world saw it, before introducing the character of Russel Poole( Johnny Depp) to fill in the blanks, connect the dots and present a really well hidden conspiracy while still leaving the viewers none the wiser is just incredible. Jack Jackson( Forest Whitaker)'s own angle ensured that the narrative kept on taking really interesting twists, for when he finally feels the truth behind the death of Notorious BIG is within his grasp, it slips dramatically through his fingers by another masterfully crafted reveal by Poole. In essence, the narrative bubble created around the characters of Poole and Jackson ensured that there was no stagnation of ideas or a lag in creative distribution of the ideas upon which the movie itself was created.
Even to the trained eyes, the first pictures in the movie could leave the viewer in no man's land, because it totally diverted the attention of the viewers from where the story was headed. That being said, City of Lies is a movie that thrives not on the excellence of its concept, but on the ingenuity and creative excellence of the story teller.
The manner in which the script was made to lay every fact in the open as the whole world saw it, before introducing the character of Russel Poole( Johnny Depp) to fill in the blanks, connect the dots and present a really well hidden conspiracy while still leaving the viewers none the wiser is just incredible. Jack Jackson( Forest Whitaker)'s own angle ensured that the narrative kept on taking really interesting twists, for when he finally feels the truth behind the death of Notorious BIG is within his grasp, it slips dramatically through his fingers by another masterfully crafted reveal by Poole. In essence, the narrative bubble created around the characters of Poole and Jackson ensured that there was no stagnation of ideas or a lag in creative distribution of the ideas upon which the movie itself was created.
What really made the movie worth the watch is how the movie ended up living up to its billing as a work aimed at exposing a massive cover-up, without really answering the question that drove a lot of people to elect to watch the movie in the first place; Who really killed Notorious BIG? The reason for this is quite simple, even though the movie succeeded in exposing the cover up in the police department about the insiders in their force and the roles played by dirty cops in the death of not only Notorious BIG, but that of Tupac Shakur as well, none of those roles really involved pulling the trigger, which was what viewers wanted resolved.
In all honesty and fairness, we may never know the answer to that, really. But for the creative innovation employed in this project, the acting brilliance of Mr Depp and then obviously stellar experienced performance of Whitaker, I won't be doing anyone any favours if I don't recommend this movie to all our readers. The script was so exceptional that Mr Depp who was starring in a role he was clearly shouldn't have any business with, really looked good, composed and brilliant on the job. In other instances, he would have looked like a duck out of water, but the script offered him a medium to be his usual self, the chance to be creative on the take, while being reined in by a masterful script.
What Furman and Sullivan have achieved is really incredible, telling a story that does not necessarily prejudice any of the interested parties. It is hard these days to find a story that does not tilt to one side of the narrative divide. This movie has achieved an incredible feat of being really economical with content while being concentrated enough to be and stay relevant.
Directed by: Brad Furman
Produced by: Miriam Segal, Paul Brennan, Stuart Manashil
Screenplay by: Christian Contreras
Based on: LAbyrinth by Randall Sullivan
Starring:
Johnny Depp
Forest Whitaker
Music by: Chris Hajian
Cinematography: Monika Lenczewska
Edited by: Leo Trombetta
Production company: Good Films, Lipsync, Romulus Entertainment VXII 9, Infinitum Nihil
Distributed by: Miramax
FCA's AppR: 7.5/10
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