Biggie and Tupac (2002)

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.

Director:

Nick Broomfield

Stars:

The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Nick Broomfield

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Shakur	...	Himself
Kevin Hackie	...	Himself
Reggie Wright Sr.	...	Himself
Frank Alexander	...	Himself
Sonia Flores	...	Herself
Marshall Bigtower	...	Himself
Don Seabold	...	Himself
Mark Hyland	...	Himself

Storyline

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

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Plot Keywords:

tupac shakur | rap | hip hop | rap music | three word title | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

LA Story

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, Lafayette Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Casablanca (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Return of the Outlawz"
Performed by Mopreme Shakur

User Reviews

Riveting, insightful, and surprisingly sad

In 1996, the music industry was rocked at the news that multi-million selling rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in his car after attending an event in Las Vegas, and later died from internal injuries. A year later, another giant in the rap industry, Notorious B.I.G., was also murdered in similar circumstances from a drive-by shooting. To this day, their murders remain two of the most famously unsolved murders in history. Documentary film-maker Nick Broomfield starts his own investigation, and starts asking questions and sticking his nose in where other people dare not, and reveals some alarming truths and circumstances.

The most alarming thing about this documentary is not the sight of the intimidating Suge Knight in the climatic prison interview, or the revelations about the sheer incompetence of the police during their investigation and their possible connections to the murders, but the apparent amateurish way that director Nick Broomfield goes about his business. He barges into locations with his microphone and headphones, asks probing questions, and in one scene, actually runs out of sound recording and cuts the interview short. But it actually works in his favour. His seemingly bumbling approach allows his interviewees to feel more at ease and see Broomfield as less of a threat. And working on charm and determination alone, manages to bank an interview with rap mogul Suge Knight after he had already turned down the interview after simply turning up at the prison.

The documentary itself is as riveting, fascinating, and surprisingly sad as you would hope. Broomfield gets answers that even the police officer taken off the case for 'asking too many questions' is impressed with. It reveals a glamorous and terrifying world where these multi-millionaire musicians wanting to play gangster got more than they were expecting, and their links with the 'bloods' and 'crips' of the L.A. gangland. It's clear that Broomfield's suspicions lie with Knight, who seems to have a finger in every pie, and is the instigator of the East-West Cast rivalry that seemed to hit its peak in the mid-90's. A quality documentary, and a rather damning insight into the rap industry.

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