City of Lies Movie Review

City of Lies (2018)

Rent City of Lies on Amazon Video (paid link) // Buy the book (paid link)
Written by: Randall Sullivan (based on the non-fiction book by), Christian Contreras (screenplay)
Directed by: Brad Furman
Starring: Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Toby Huss, Shea Whigham, Xander Berkeley, Glenn Plummer
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Russell Poole and Jack Jackson investigate the murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G.

Verdict
This focuses on the investigation, and it provides a lot of information. As we get farther into the movie, all the pieces start to fall in place. It's that unraveling that keeps this engrossing. The movie isn't bad, but it's the information that's fascinating.
It depends.

Review
This story is mostly true, Jackson (Forest Whitaker) is inspired by author Sullivan. The rest of the story is based on Sullivan's research that's the basis for his book. I knew the murder was unsolved, but I had no idea how deep the conspiracy went. Of course I'm taking this movie at face value and assuming what it presents is true, and it seems to be.

Forest Whitaker plays Jack Jackson

Journalist Jack Jackson tracks down Russell Poole (Johnny Depp) for an anniversary article on the death of rapper Biggie Smalls. Poole was in charge of the murder investigation, and still hasn't given up despite retirement and ridicule. I'm not sure what kind progress he's making in retirement with the lack of resources though. This is the introduction to the story proper where we flash back to the investigation.

The story starts with a road rage traffic shootout. It's discovered after the fact that the two men involved were both cops. The way it's revealed, we don't know who is at fault, and can only make assumptions based on the survivor's story. This ties in to Biggie's murder.

Johnny Depp plays Detective Russell Poole

Poole suspects record producer Suge Knight of Death Row Records is involved. Suge had cops working for him, and even an undercover FBI agent trying to infiltrate the circle. The cops are complicit in crimes, and then there are all of the other issues of corruption for the department. If you're curious about what happened to Biggie, this provides a lot of insight. The movie even claims that the infamous Rampart scandal, a huge blemish for the department, was a coverup for this murder case as Death Row basically operated within the LAPD.

Poole tries unsuccessfully to push the case forward to no avail. He's thwarted whenever he gets close to revealing the truth. There's even a pointed scene where he's staring at the blindfolded Lady of Justice statue. If you weren't around in the late '90s, this doesn't convey what a big deal Biggie's murder was. It was unbelievable, and happening so soon after Tupac it fueled a lot of rumors. This movie is focused solely on the investigation and it provides a lot of answers. The information this conveys is better than the movie itself.