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Biggie and Tupac (2002)
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Synopsis:
Hot on the trail of another controversial and provocative subject, award-winning documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney; Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam; Aileen Wournos: The Selling of a Serial Killer) chronicles the still unsolved murders of rap superstars Christopher...
Hot on the trail of another controversial and provocative subject, award-winning documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney; Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam; Aileen Wournos: The Selling of a Serial Killer) chronicles the still unsolved murders of rap superstars Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G.) and Tupac Shakur.
A hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Biggie & Tupac is the story of two great friends who had a falling out and became deadly enemies. Their murders were long explained as being the result of the rivalry that had grown between them, allegedly a result of the ongoing East Coast/West Coast rivalry in hip hop. But now, at the fifth anniversary of their deaths, Broomfield reveals startling evidence to suggest the blame lies elsewhere.
Broomfield's exploration ranges from Los Angeles to New York, documenting the workings of corrupt police officers, the insistent calls for justice from Wallace's loving mother, the eyewitnesses to the murders, never seen before evidence and both veiled and blatant threats from Suge Knight. Biggie & Tupac again demonstrates Broomfield's uncanny ability to get people to talk to him on camera, including a rare prison interview with Suge Knight, along with his trademark wry commentary. Considering the revelations he uncovers, this documentary is bold even for Broomfield.
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Starring: Russell Poole, Voletta Wallace, Nick Broomfield
Reviews
Broomfield turns his distinctive 'blundering' style into something that could really help clear up the case.
The fact is that the screen is most alive when it seems most likely that Broomfield's interviewees, or even himself, will not be for much longer.
A worthwhile documentary, whether you're into rap or not, even if it may still leave you wanting more answers as the credits roll.
The problem with Nick Broomfield’s documentaries is, well, Nick Broomfield.
Whether you like rap music or loathe it, you can’t deny either the tragic loss of two young men in the prime of their talent or the power of this movie.
Weirdly, Broomfield has compelling new material but he doesn't unveil it until the end, after endless scenes of him wheedling reluctant witnesses and pointing his camera through the smeared windshield of his rental car.
Compulsively watchable and endlessly inventive as it transforms Broomfield's limited materials into a compelling argument.
Broomfield fashions himself a crusading hero, and it's likely that enthusiasm that helps him do his job, but it's the director's self-love that robs the film of some integrity.
You don't need to know your Ice-T's from your Cool-J's to realize that as far as these shootings are concerned, something is rotten in the state of California.
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by: Ivy Killa 4/27/03


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