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In the ‘90s, you didn’t have to be a fan of rap to know about the feud between East Coast and West Coast rap—or about the shootings of both Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. More than two decades later, both cases remain unsolved—and the long-delayed City of Lies reveals parts of the story that have been buried all this time.
City of Lies uncovers the lies and scandals that have kept the murder of Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., unsolved for more than 20 years. Johnny Depp stars as Russell Poole, the LAPD detective who worked to get himself assigned to the case after another investigation revealed some troubling information. Years later, as journalist Jack Jackson (Forest Whitaker) is working on a retrospective, he connects with Poole, who reveals all of the details of the case and the damning information that’s kept the answers from coming out.
At one point in the story, a detective explains that the case just had too many stories, too many leads, and too many suspects. That certainly seems to be true. City of Lies explores many of these stories, leads, and suspects—and that means that it’s absolutely loaded with information. As Poole shares everything that he’s learned through his years of investigations—both as a detective and on his own, after his resignation—his story reveals so many tangled webs that it can definitely feel overwhelming.
Admittedly, much of the film is just a lot of talk: Poole and Jackson discussing the steps taken in investigating the case, the dead ends, and the revelations. It doesn’t put a whole lot of effort into developing characters that viewers will care about—because that’s not really the point. The point is to take a whole lot of damning information and reveal it through a kind of narrative film. And though it sometimes feels more like a documentary than a drama inspired by real events, it certainly makes a compelling case. The things that Poole uncovered definitely connect a lot of the dots—even if they don’t give a definitive answer. But, in the process, they also reveal a whole lot of lies and corruption within the system—and those revelations will give viewers a lot to consider and discuss long after the film ends.
Though the endless information provided in City of Lies can sometimes be confusing, it does have a lot to say. Even if you had no interest in the rap scene of the ‘90s, you’ll find that there’s much more to it than just an East Coast/West Coast rivalry. It explores scandals and cover-ups and conspiracies that, while not necessarily surprising, are definitely much bigger and far-reaching than just one murder investigation.
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