City of Lies (2018)

Russell Poole and Jack Jackson investigate the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

Director:

Brad Furman

Writers:

Randall Sullivan (based on the non-fiction book by), Christian Contreras (screenplay)

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Toby Huss

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Russell Poole
Forest Whitaker	...	Jack Jackson
Toby Huss	...	Detective Fred Miller
Dayton Callie	...	Lieutenant O'Shea
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Rafael Perez
Louis Herthum	...	City Attorney Stone
Shea Whigham	...	Frank Lyga
Xander Berkeley	...	Edwards
Shamier Anderson	...	David Mack
Laurence Mason	...	FBI Agent Dunton
Christian George	...	Belsher
Michael Paré	...	Detective Varney
Amin Joseph	...	Kevin Gaines
Josh Hardwick	...	Russell Poole Jr. (as Joshua M. Hardwick)
Glenn Plummer	...	Psycho Mike

Storyline

Russell Poole and Jack Jackson investigate the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to m.c. hammer | baseball game | singing in a police station | reference to robert f. kennedy | las vegas nevada | 

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Taglines:

The only thing more notorious than the crime was the cover-up.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, some violence and drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both characters Rafael Perez and Frank Lyga, are based on real people with the same name as in the movie, during the 90's, these two policemen were very infamous in Rampart Scandal, on which this film is based.

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Goofs

You can see the crane, when Detective Poole walks around the gas station during the long take.

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Connections

References The X-Files (1993)

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Soundtracks

""Hypnotize""
Written by Randy 'Badazz' Alpert (as Randy Badazz Alpert), Deric Angelettie (as Deric Michael Angelettie), Andy Armor (as Andy W. Armer), Sean 'Diddy' Combs (as Sean J. Combs), Ron Lawrence (as Ronald Lawrence) and The Notorious B.I.G. (as Christopher Wallace)
Performed by The Notorious B.I.G. (as Notorious B.I.G.)
Courtesy of Bad Boy Records
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing
Contains a sample of "Rise"
Written by Randy 'Badazz' Alpert (as Randy Badazz Alpert) and Andy Armor (as Andy W. Armer)

User Reviews

Interesting Film

I wasn't expecting much going in. Both Leads are on the downward arc of their careers and both have made some turkeys in their days. Not the case in this movie, Johnny Depp is very good as a retired detective who has all the answers but no ability to get things done and Forest Whitaker as the reporter whose star has faded. The two leads play off each other very well and Whitaker complements Depp whose character just might be unstable. Depp is the lead character and Whitaker is definitely the consummate supporting actor. This is a murder mystery with intrigue about the Biggie Smalls murder. I know very little about rap and was engrossed with story of corruption and the toll that the search for the truth has exacted on the two male leads. A entertaining film with a above average performance from Depp.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 March 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

City of Lies

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$284,561, 21 March 2021

Gross USA:

$572,493

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,844,013

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmNation Entertainment, Good Films Collective, Hollywood Caterers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1