City of Lies

City of Lies is a 2018 American crime film directed by Brad Furman, with a screenplay by Christian Contreras. It is based on the non-fiction book "LAbyrinth" by Randall Sullivan, about the investigations by the Los Angeles Police Department of the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in that city. The film stars Johnny Depp as retired LAPD detective Russell Poole and Forest Whitaker as journalist Jack Jackson, with Rockmond Dunbar and Neil Brown Jr. also starring.
The film premiered in Italy on December 8, 2018, screened out of competition on the last day of the Noir in Festival. It received a limited release in Italy on January 10, 2019. Originally set to be released in the United States on September 7, 2018 by Global Road Entertainment, it was pulled from the schedule in August 2018. It was eventually acquired by Saban Films and released on March 19, 2021, followed by a PVOD release on April 9, 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Premise.
In 1997, LAPD detective Russell Poole is working the homicide investigations of the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Nearly two decades later, after Poole's retirement, reporter Jack Jackson teams up with Poole seeking to discover the truth about the unsolved cases. (This part of the plot was based on journalist Randall Sullivan's collaboration with Poole in the investigation that was the basis of his book.)
Production.
On February 4, 2013, Miriam Segal's British production company Good Films was reported to have bought the film rights to Randall Sullivan's non-fiction book "LAbyrinth". This explored police corruption in Los Angeles related to detective Russell Poole's investigation of the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, which were never solved. On September 7, 2016, Johnny Depp was reportedly cast in the film to play Poole, the Los Angeles police detective.
Brad Furman was announced as director for the film, from a script written by Christian Contreras and adapted from the book. On September 19, Open Road Films acquired the film's US distribution rights. It co-financed the film along with Miramax, while Good Universe handled the film's international sales.
Casting.
On November 11, 2016, Rockmond Dunbar was cast in the film to play Dreadlocks. The same day Forest Whitaker joined the film to play the journalist who teams up with the police officer to uncover the truth. On November 17, Neil Brown Jr. was cast in the film to play police officer Rafael Pérez. Xander Berkeley, Shea Whigham, Wynn Everett, and Toby Huss were cast in the film on December 13, while two days later Louis Herthum and Shamier Anderson also joined the film, with Herthum playing a city attorney who defends Poole on trial and Anderson playing corrupt LAPD officer David "D. Mack" Mack. On January 6, 2017, Amin Joseph joined the film to play police officer Kevin Gaines, and on January 18, Laurence Mason to play an FBI agent, Dunton. On January 23, 2017, newcomer Joseph Ferrante joined the film for an unspecified role.
Filming.
Principal photography on the film began on December 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Principal photography wrapped in May 2017.
Release.
The first trailer for the film, originally titled "LAbyrinth", was released on May 21, 2018, which would have been The Notorious B.I.G.'s 46th birthday. Following the merger between Open Road Films and IM Global to form Global Road Entertainment, the film was retitled "City of Lies" and given a release date of September 7, 2018, the 22nd anniversary of the murder of Tupac Shakur. In August 2018, the film was pulled from the schedule, reportedly due to an ongoing lawsuit involving Depp and the film's location manager; no replacement date was announced.
On August 23, 2018, the "Daily Beast" reported that Depp's legal trouble was used as a scapegoat. It suggested that the Los Angeles Police Department may have been trying to suppress the film, in which it is negatively portrayed, or that there were other major players who did not want the film released. In July 2020, Adam Tod Brown argued that the film was suppressed so Voletta Wallace cannot reopen the Notorious B.I.G. murder case to sue the LAPD. On August 29, 2018, Bank Leumi filed another lawsuit against Miramax over millions of dollars in unpaid guarantees caused by pulling the film from release.
"City of Lies" was premiered in Italy when it was screened on December 9, 2018, out of competition, at the Noir in Festival as the closing film of the event. It received a limited release on January 10, 2019. The film was released on Blu-ray in Italy on June 19, 2019.
On March 4, 2021, Saban Films announced that it had taken over the distribution rights, and scheduled the movie for release on March 19, 2021. Many movie theater venues were still closed because of health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reception.
Box office.
In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $275,049 from 501 theaters in its opening weekend, a per-venue average of $549.
Critical response.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. According to Metacritic, which calculated a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on 12 critics, the film received "mixed or average reviews".
Richard Roeper of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing: "...in large part due to the stellar work from Depp and Whitaker, this is a valuable and somewhat illuminating look back at the senseless, stunning killings of two rap icons just six months apart." Writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", John DeFore wrote: "This is a compelling drama with real-world concerns that shouldn't be ignored, and it deserves better than to be the victim of an actor's offscreen sins."