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Features: DVD
One of the most talked-about films at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and a critical and commercial success in the U.S. and U.K., Biggie & Tupac is the documentary of the year. Director Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney, Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam)delves into the still-unsolved murders of Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G.) and Tupac Shakur, presenting the story of two great friends who eventually became arch enemies. The film reveals startling evidence as to where the blame lies for their still-unexplained murders while providing an intimate look into this murder mystery. Broomfield filmed the documentary with the cooperation of ex-LAPD detective Russell Poole as well as the one figure who could give him the kind of extensive access he needed for this kind of film: Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mother.
"The footage of the rappers at play and the prison interview with Suge Knight are just two of the elements that will grab you." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"Daringly perceptive, taut, piercing and feisty, Biggie and Tupac is undeniably subversive and involving in its bold presentation." Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.Com
"[Broomfield] uncovers a story powerful enough to leave the screen sizzling with intrigue." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Editor's Note
In this probing documentary from director Nick Broomfield, the notoriously abrasive Englishman conducts his own investigation of two separate drive-by shootings that took the lives of rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur in the late 1990s. Starting with the original police investigations, Broomfield attempts to knit together pieces of information while establishing the framework of the Los Angeles gangsta rap scene. He also presents home video footage of the rappers before they became household names. But it's when Broomfield tracks down former LAPD officer Russell Poole that the conspiracy theory begins to emerge. Poole has been working incessantly to expose corruption within the Los Angeles Police Department, collecting evidence that connects off-duty police officers to the murders of both rappers. Also targeted is Death Row Records head honcho Marion "Suge" Knight, whose well-documented criminal tactics lead Broomfield to implicate Knight as a key figure in both murders. A brief interview with Knight in prison proves futile, leaving Broomfield with an endless supply of questions but no concrete answers. In true Broomfield fashion, BIGGIE AND TUPAC comes off more as an entertaining shockumentary than a serious work of cinematic journalism, but it is this tone that makes it virtually impossible to dismiss.
| Features | Crew & Character Biographies | | Follow-Up Interview With Director | | 15 Additional Scenes Introduced By Director | | Artist Discographies | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Director's Commentary |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Ventura |
| Release Date: 4/29/2003 |
| Running Time: 107 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 1108-7 | | UPC: 00698368110891 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew | Joan Churchill - Cinematographer | | Nick Broomfield - Director | | Jaime Estrada Torres - Editor | | Mark Atkins - Editor | | Biggie Smalls - Featuring | | Nick Broomfield - Featuring | | Russell Poole - Featuring | | Snoop Dogg - Featuring | | Tupac Shakur - Featuring | | Voletta Wallace - Featuring | | Christian Henson - Original Music | | Michele d'Acosta - Producer | | Nick Broomfield - Producer |
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| | Professional Reviews | Box Office
"...BIGGIE & TUPAC delves into these murders with shocking and stunning results....The documentary maintains an enticing maverick quality throughout..." 08/01/2002 p.56USA Today
"...The filmmaker doggedly bumbles around into places he's not wanted, not always getting direct answers. But sometimes a squirm is worth a thousand words..." 09/27/2002 p.16D Los Angeles Times
"...A gripping investigation into the murders of rap rivals and former friends Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace..." 10/04/2002 p.C1 Entertainment Weekly
"...Broomfield leaves you with questions that few investigators have even dared to ask..." 10/04/2002 p.125 Mojo
"[Broomfield's] journey into rap's heart of darkness proved revelatory." 12/01/2004 p.63 Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Broomfield himself is the star of the film, complaining about his gas mileage, forcing himself to listen to one of Tupac's tapes, complaining about his incompetent employees, confessing to fear as he walks into dangerous situations. There is something so disarming about the man as he persuades people to say things on camera that, presumably, could land them in trouble. That no trouble has resulted from those things being said seems to support his argument--that the killings were covered up within the LAPD and there is no interest, these days, in being inconvenienced by any additional facts. It goes without saying that the killings only enhanced the aura around rap music, encouraging other artists to adopt the popular gangsta image. - Roger Ebert
San Francisco Examiner 8 of 10
Biggie and Tupac is so single-mindedly daring, it puts far more polished documentaries to shame. Broomfield's presence makes Biggie and Tupac register with significance. He acts as our conduit into this world of real-life gangsters. We wince as he gets into potentially dangerous situations, and we learn to trust and believe him. - Jeffrey Anderson
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