City of Lies

A masterfully shot, raw crime with 1990s grainy optics using grey camera filters, it is technically and subjectively speaking one of the most accomplished in years, peppered with period footage and all sorts of gimmicks, with Depp playing a pretty untraditional character, and it’s not bad at all. Unfortunately, it’s marred by a dabbling script that is confusing, with a stilted retrospective, and lacking a bit better clarity, as well as juice. It’s a big shame, because otherwise the film is formally delicious. (08/26/2019)

A decent crime drama dealing with the unsolved murder of rappers Tupac and Biggie. Johnny Depp is decent as a detective and Forest Whitaker as a journalist. The film has a slower pace, but it doesn't get boring and the ending is definitely intriguing. For fans of the genre. 65% (07/27/2019)

I went into City of Lies with the idea of a boring, bland crime drama about the killing of Tupac and Biggie that wouldn't be very interesting. I didn't even know what happened or how until watching the film, and I have to say it sucked me into the plot perfectly from the first minute and I devoured every scene until the last act. Firstly, because it was quite convoluted and it was a chore to navigate, but also because it had a rather mysterious narrative style throughout, revealing one clue after another and making you want to find out the truth. Towards the end, it perhaps faltered a bit and started with a more philosophical subtext than the actual completion of the case, which would have taken away a necessary 20 minutes from the film. For my money, a quality, at times quite dark story of two of the most famous rappers, their West/East-coast rivalry and the involvement of the LAPD in the killing of Biggie. (01/28/2020)