Biggie and Tupac (2002)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Release Date:

24 May 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | Music

Plot:

Documentary on the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and the East Coast/West Coast, hip-hop/rap rivalry that culminated in late 1996 and early 1997.

Plot Keywords:

Rap | Hip Hop | Drive By Shooting | Recording Industry | Rap Music

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

The Notorious B.I.G.	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tupac Shakur	...	Himself (archive footage)
Nick Broomfield	...	Himself
Russell Poole	...	Himself
David Hicken	...	Himself
Billy Garland	...	Himself
Voletta Wallace	...	Herself
Mopreme	...	Himself
Kevin Hackie	...	Himself
Reggie Wright Sr.	...	Himself
Frank Alexander	...	Himself
Sonia Flores	...	Herself
Marshall Bigtower	...	Himself
Don Seabold	...	Himself
Mark Hyland	...	Himself

Also Known As:

LA Story (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | France:U | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

FilmFour

Movie Connections:

References Casablanca (1942)

Soundtrack:

Hypnotize

Great documentary despite Broomfield's bumbling style

Filmmaker Nick Broomfield decides to take up the investigation into the murders of Biggie and Tupac in 1996/97. Taking his starting point to be an officer who claims he was discouraged from his investigation and forced off the job due to the involvement of other officers. His investigation leads him to uncover links to the FBI and fingers of suspicion that point all the way to the imprisoned head of Death Row Records, Suge Knight himself.

Broomfield has had good documentaries and bad documentaries, this is one of his best efforts and is actually very good work and may help the actual investigation. The basic story sees Broomfield stumbling into various interviews as a sort of wide-eyed innocent. His style can be a little annoying at times and also his voice is quite monotonous but his material is griping.

From the one officer that starts his trail, Broomfield uncovers lot of insightful stuff that shows a much bigger picture that has not been publically seen before. For example the FBI were trailing Biggie and Puffy hours before they got killed and had been for quite some time – so where were they when they got shot? Asks Lil' Caese – why didn't they at least catch the gunman? The conspiracy Broomfield puts forward is quite extreme but the evidence and the witnesses are there at every stage to back it up. By the time Knight is interviewed the case is pretty much made.

The film makes very good use of old footage including the East/West kick-off at an awards ceremony and old footage of Tupac in the studio and Biggie rapping live at outdoor shows. The atcual interviews are all good and mostly very illuminating. Knight is quite intimidating but is clearly putting on a face. Lil' Caese is helpful as are many of the bodyguards and cops but the best interviews are with Biggie's mum – she doesn't have many facts but she really helps Biggie be a real person rather than just a larger than life rapper. The gaps are as prominent as the people – why no Puffy, why no Snoop, why no Faith Evans etc. However those that are involved all provide a lot of information.

The music is good throughout (if you're into hip-hop) but can someone tell me why Gangstarr were used several times in favour of the artist's own stuff?

Overall this is a must see for all hip-hop fans, but it is also a good view for those who like conspiracy theories. Broomfield's style is a little annoying but the pace and depth of the material is gripping and makes for very, very interesting viewing.