City of Lies

R

Released Mar 19, 2021

1 hr. 54 min.

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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List

51%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on the book, LAByrinth, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Randall Sullivan, this compelling crime-thriller follows the investigation into the infamous murder of iconic rap artist Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. Oscar® nominee Johnny Depp stars as determined LAPD detective Russell Poole, who spent nearly 20 years trying to solve the murder, and Oscar® and Primetime Emmy® winner Forest Whitaker as Jack Jackson, a journalist who teams up with Poole in search of the elusive truth. Together they explore why the case remains cold -- and why a secret division of the LAPD is seemingly set on keeping it that way.

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David Benjamin Judah

Riveting from beginning to end. Eye opening to the corruption of people in power and authority.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/21

Full Review

SParris22

This movie was everything. Amazing from start to finish

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/21

Full Review

Tracy

I really liked the movie! Its good to see Johnny Depp on the screen again. Movie is more of a documentary about the cold case and the detective investigating it. There was a lot of information that was never released to the public. This movie really got into the back story of a police coverup. Very interesting. It is rated R, but was pretty mild other than language. Im glad I saw the movie. Everyone should see it to know more about what really happened.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/21

Full Review

Vegas Vision

I sat through this film in an empty theater - except for myself. The theme has been done and done again - another film blues vs. rap..in this case the blues are the police, the raps are the rapppers and the two do not have a common ground twenty plus years ago. It was a 'shaky' film, flashbacking to 1997 and forward in time - the murder of Tupac Shakur was not the focus - and it should have been - the other murder, that of Biggie Smalls was the focus and it did not have the same impact as the veiled rub out of Tupac. Most was set in the downtrodden areas of LA, while Tupac's murder was as a visitor to Las Vegas, which would have given this film some extra cinemagraphic fodder for the film. The enraged road rage at the beginning, has been used in other films recently. The actors were sufficient but nothing outstanding - I sat through but the last ten minutes as it dragged on - the pacing was off and the scenery and dialogue were predictable. This is not a highly recommended film - it is a statement film that should have been done ten years ago. I do love documentaries or mockumentaries, and this one just does not make the list..I did give it 2.5 stars for its message - and also seeing that all lives matter - the corruption that occurred should never have happened - and could have been in a tighter formatted film, made to be a very good one. It is 25 years almost (24 to be exact) since these crimes occurred and as I said before - should have been focusing more on the good cop versus the bad cop in the City of Lies.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/21

Full Review

john w

Wouldve loved it but for 2 adults talking through the entire movie, so we got a refund to finish it later. After waiting so long to get back to a theater we find some people just wanted to get back it to ruin the experience. They should be barred for life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/21

Full Review

Lawrence O

Actors did a decent job portraying LAPD characters. Otherwise it was a boring story which was hard to follow most of the movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/21

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Brad Furman

Director

Johnny Depp

Russell Poole

Forest Whitaker

Jack Jackson

Rockmond Dunbar

Dreadlocks

Neil Brown Jr.

Rafael Perez

Xander Berkeley

Edwards

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Domino

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64%

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Last Rampage

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45%

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The Little Things

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64%

60%

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David Ehrlich

indieWire

Furman's movie lacks the craft or the confidence to address the unresolved questions of institutional cancer.

Rated: C-

Mar 30, 2021

Full Review

Matthew Monagle

Austin Chronicle

City of Lies is more James Ellroy than docudrama, resulting in a tired police thriller that hitched its wagon to an untenable star.

Rated: 2/5

Mar 25, 2021

Full Review

Adam Graham

Detroit News

As a thriller, it never quite reaches its boiling point, which may be one reason it's been sitting on the shelf since 2018. But as the portrait of a man obsessed and the forces stacked up against him, it earns its stripes.

Rated: B-

Mar 23, 2021

Full Review

Lisa Nesselson

France24

A complex tale about a still-unsolved homicide.

Sep 21, 2021

Full Review

Steven Warner

In Review Online

[City of Lies has] a deeply trite message, to be sure, but in our current world of falsehood, perhaps not a bad one to rehash.

Jun 6, 2021

Full Review

Robert Denerstein

Denerstein Unleashed

Overall, City of Lies seems more intent on wallowing in LA grit than in finding a powerful through-line for its two stars and the large cast that surrounds them.

Apr 16, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on the book, LAByrinth, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Randall Sullivan, this compelling crime-thriller follows the investigation into the infamous murder of iconic rap artist Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. Oscar® nominee Johnny Depp stars as determined LAPD detective Russell Poole, who spent nearly 20 years trying to solve the murder, and Oscar® and Primetime Emmy® winner Forest Whitaker as Jack Jackson, a journalist who teams up with Poole in search of the elusive truth. Together they explore why the case remains cold -- and why a secret division of the LAPD is seemingly set on keeping it that way.

Director: Brad Furman
Executive Producer: Brad Feinstein, Braden Aftergood, Rosanne Korenberg, Zanne Devine, Jeffrey Konvitz, Jeff Geoffray, Daniel Rainey, Grant Mohrman, Peter Hampden, Norman Merry, Patrick Newall, Christi Dembrowski
Screenwriter: Christian Contreras
Distributor: Saban Films
Production Co: Global Road Entertainment, Good Films
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Some Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 2021, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 9, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $565.7K
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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