Biggie & Tupac (2002)

Just perfect...

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Growing up in New York exposed me to Tupac and BIG's music at a young age. Hip Hop started in NY and so it is deeply rooted in the culture since it began. I watched this film three or four times this week. It definitely brings up some very important, overlooked information. Both murders were very poorly investigated, if at all. There was obviously a lot of misinformation going on and internal corruption within certain police forces and government officials. What a surprise. It reminds me of the 9/11 investigation and how awful it was. Some people, even who have seen and reviewed this film on this site need to watch this film and recognize how well it was done.

Biggie and Tupac is a Documentary on the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls and the East Coast/, hip-hop/rap rivalry that happened in late 1996/1997. It has a very different style, and director Nick Broomfield is a very intrusive and un-forgiving documentarian. His unusual style puts me off of this documentary, and his constant repetitiveness and dull mono-tone voice adds insult to injury. Unlike a lot of documentaries Nick Broomfield is the main star in this documentary, and takes every opportunity to jump in front of the camera, and now and then throws in a rough piece-to-camera, describing what we have already just seen. However, there is some fantastic access, and I believe that Nick made the most of his contacts, and gained some fantastic access. His interviews with Tupac's mother, a very intense and truthful interview is just one of the fantastic moments in this film, as well as an extremely revealing interview with Biggies bodyguard, who reveals who he believes to of killed Biggie. From the amazing dangers taken, you can see that Nick Broomfield has a massive drive to make his documentary as revealing and factual as possible, and this is shown by the highly dangerous locations that they perspire to film in, one being one of the most notorious gun capitals in the east of America, and another being a high security prison. In both circumstances, Nick Broomfield fearlessly and intrepidly gets as much information as he can from local people and inmates, to get the broadest picture on the events as possible.While all these points are very impressive, you still cannot sway from the mindless boredom that Nick incites. His on screen demine is highly irritating. Another grudge I have for this movie is the lack of time. There is no natural progression between each interview, and the events jump from one to another, rather than unfolding as they actually did.

Biggie and Tupac is a chronology of Broomfield's complete failure to unearth any interesting material on his subjects, totally overshadowed by his blandiose, wooden narration.I found his attitude and treatment of his subjects to be insufferable, from his attempts at pidgin English (akin to reading Dick and Jane novels aloud) to his unprepared, incompetent interviews (showing up and ambushing people, losing sound files, etc.) Broomfield has a unique talent for getting in the way of the story he is purporting to tell. He was more interested in hearing himself talk, and following his own blundering, as he put up increasing barriers between himself and his subjects.In addition, how does the director expect us to be engaged by the story, when it is clear he has no interest in hearing what people have to say? Ambush journalism fails when you are being aggressive without asking anything of import. He can't ask an interesting question, how can one expect him to spin a compelling narrative?This movie was a pathetic attempt by a director worth ignoring.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsThe 'thug lifestyle' surrounding hardcore rap music is thankfully just an image thing with the majority of it's singers.Sadly,a gunman didn't seem to feel that way of the titular duo.This is the sad true story of Biggie Smalls and Tupac (or 2Pac) Shakur,two of gangsta raps most famous icons who both met tragic untimely deaths at the hands of gunmen (or just one gunman?),and all in a relatively short time-frame of each other.No,rap and what it preached was not just business to these two individuals.....it meant life.Nick Broomfield's documentary charts how the East-Coast/West-Coast rivalry came about,and how the one time two best friends allowed fame and money to corrupt them and turn them pretty much into sworn enemies.Digging up archive footage and mixing it with interviews,it inevitably drags in parts,but for the most part it's very engrossing stuff and certainly evokes many thoughts and opinions on what really went on.***