City of Lies

Name: City of Lies
Genre: Biography, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: March 19, 2021
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 44
Cast: Dayton Callie, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, Laurence Mason, Louis Herthum

2021

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Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Ratings

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City of Lies

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Movie Details & Credits

Saban Films | Release Date: March 19, 2021 | R

Starring: Dayton Callie, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, Laurence Mason, Louis Herthum, Melanie Benz, Neil Brown Jr., Shamier Anderson, Shea Whigham, Toby Huss, Xander Berkeley

Summary: Based on the true story of one of the most notorious and unsolved cases in recent time, City of Lies is a provocative thriller revealing a never-before-seen look at the infamous murder of The Notorious B.I.G. shortly following the death of Tupac. L.A.P.D. detective Russell Poole (Johnny Depp) has spent years trying to solve his biggestBased on the true story of one of the most notorious and unsolved cases in recent time, City of Lies is a provocative thriller revealing a never-before-seen look at the infamous murder of The Notorious B.I.G. shortly following the death of Tupac. L.A.P.D. detective Russell Poole (Johnny Depp) has spent years trying to solve his biggest case, but after two decades, the investigation remains open. "Jack" Jackson (Forest Whitaker), a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies. Relentless in their hunt, these two determined men threaten to uncover the conspiracy and crack the foundation of the L.A.P.D. and an entire city. … Expand

Director: Brad Furman

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 min

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Critic Reviews

Martin Carr

Mar 18, 2021

Impassioned, engaging and eloquently constructed, City of Lies has much more to offer than first meets the eye. Read full review

Richard Roeper

Mar 18, 2021

Still, 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. Read full review

John DeFore

Mar 18, 2021

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. Read full review

IndieWire David Ehrlich

Mar 19, 2021

In practice, City of Lies is so understandably overwhelmed by the sprawling mystery at its core that it never figures out what to ask of either history or itself. Or how. Read full review

Matthew Monagle

Mar 23, 2021

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

Tim Grierson

Mar 18, 2021

Familiar execution and drab characters conspire to drain this vital story of its intensity. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Mar 18, 2021

The look is grimy and the atmosphere is grim; but what could have been a moody character study or a taut conspiracy thriller is instead a dreary procedural, a misbegotten mush of flashbacks, voice-overs and dead ends. Read full review

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User Reviews

Sal3

Apr 10, 2021

Amazing film ! Depp and Whitaker are great together ! Highly recommend this film .

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

jeffw38

Jun 12, 2021

I do not understand the “less than” ratings here. This movie was a solid, re-watchable, 10. Depp and Whitaker are superb. Check out that supporting cast. Wow! Just wow!