City of Lies

I won´t go into details of the plot, since it can be found in the description of the movie. Whitaker is outstanding in this movie imo. His natural performance and presence gives life and authenticity to the character of journalist Jack Jackson. Johnny Depp is a surprise. Playing the aging retired police officer Russell Poole, his performance is well balanced, reduced and dedicated to capture the truth of Poole´s ambition and motivation. Whitaker and Depp harmonize, and it shows in the dialogues between Jackson and Poole. Two outstanding actors in an ambitioned movie about a timeless subject: finding truth in a swamp of lies.

I never write reviews but this movie had heart and soul behind it. Well acted and very detailed. Politics and ties to real life people are why I believe it was shelved and not given the proper release it deserved. It could have been a little better but it's heart was in the right place.

I came across this movie by chance while searching for something to watch. I wasn't expecting much, given the rating, but I got pleasantly surprised.

This is a solid movie, with great acting and an interesting and engaging story. I'm not from the US and I'm not really into rap, so I can't speak for the accuracy from a historical standpoint. But it was very entertaining. More like a 7.5 in my opinion. So if you had any doubts, watch it, you won't regret it.

Watching this movie, you can't help but wonder how far from the truth the events you're watch really are..? After watching it, I undertook some google couch investigation into some of the names and events. Having been in my late teens during the Tupac/Biggy shootings I was pretty familiar with the happenings and headlines at the time and this movie is pretty much true to form in timeline, events, and players. It is a shame that it was shelved. Deserves better...

Really good film showing the real life of what really went on beneath the surface of the hip hop industry a must see film Depp and Whitaker pulled it off as usual.