CITY OF LIES

Johnny Depp     Forest Whitaker

            Just as the two main characters of this drama based on a true story spend much of the movie trying to unravel the truth, the viewer remains just as mystified throughout the film trying to keep track of all the leads being investigated and the large number of people involved.  Based on a book by Randall Sullivan entitled Labyrinth, City of Lies recounts the drama of retired LAPD police detective Russell Poole (Depp) and journalist Jack Jackson (Whitaker) teaming together 18 years after the unsolved murder of the Notorious B.I.G.—which Poole had witnessed—and any relationship to the death of fellow rapper Tupac Chakur earlier—to continue the investigation on their own. How these two unlikely partners got together is shown in the entertaining first scenes.

            Ever since B.I.G.’s murder occurred, Poole has worked on the case officially and unofficially, but is stymied.  Yet, he can’t let it go.  Soon after it happened, Jackson had written about the murder based on interviews of Poole, but although he won a Peabody for his work, Poole’s information was discounted, so his own work was as well.  Nevertheless, Jackson is later asked to write a retrospective on the case, which means reestablishing contact with Poole.  When he approaches him, Poole shows only disdain for Jackson and his earlier Peabody-winning article.  

            But Jackson is persistent, manages to pull in Poole, and the two become good buddies who continue to try to uncover facts.  What they are taking on, though, is the L.A. Police Department and the possible complicity of city politicians.  

            This is a potentially intriguing story, but the filmmakers (director Brad Furman, writer, Christian Contreras, editor Leon Trombetta) are unable to present a clear picture of the facts of the case, the people involved, and how members of the LAPD and politicians seem to have been involved.  It must surely be a complicated set of events, but we rely on works like films to inform.  After the end of the film, it’s all a bit of a muddle.  

            Johnny Depp reestablishes his acting reputation in playing an acerbic loner obsessed with a puzzle that still plagues him.  Forest Whitaker likewise reestablishes his talent as a forceful black man sensitive to social boundaries but brave enough to test them.  The chemistry between these two characters is one of the strongest assets of the film.  It’s because of their interactions and collaboration that the viewer stays involved.

            

Although City of Lies has its flaws, it’s a good film in illustrating what detectives and writers are sometimes up against in their efforts to convey truth.

 

Grade:  C+                            By Donna R. Copeland

 

THE INFILTRATOR

Bryan Cranston   Diane Krueger   John Leguizamo   Benjamin Bratt   Olympia Dukakis   Amy Ryan

          Based upon a real operation in the 1980’s, The Infiltrator is edgy and tense, with periodic earsplitting bloody horrors that make you jump out of your seat.  (After about the sixth time, this gets to seem like an annoying cinematic trick, to quiet the screen before an explosive blast that kills someone.) Despite this little annoyance, the story is exciting and well told by Director Brad Furman and writer Ellen Sue Brown (book by Robert Mazur).  It is fascinating to see the day-to-day planning and execution of such an operation, and the film is especially good at showing us the binds secret agents must undergo in forming close alliances with criminals only to betray them.  The agony and thrills also come as they act out their made-up personas and have close calls, such as a recording device being discovered.

           Bob Mazur (Cranston) has had a long career in U.S. Customs as a special agent.  He is eligible to retire, but is always staying on for “one last job.”  This operation is to infiltrate Pablo Escobar’s Colombian Medellin Cartel to interrupt the flow of cocaine to this country by following the money laundering trail.  Mazur’s idea is that this will bring them to the players at the top.

          Cranston’s Mazur makes a convincing portrayal of a skilled, experienced agent who is still able to be surprised and even a little flummoxed.  It’s an interesting character study into someone who is reliable, stable, and genuine in his private life but adept at taking on a role where he is able to use those traits to get someone to trust him in a basically duplicitous relationship.  And for the most part, this character is hardened to emotional pulls, but does show some vulnerability after oh-so-close calls.  Cranston pulls this off without even seeming to be trying, a natural.  He is a large reason to see the movie.

          Diane Krueger as another agent, Kathy, playing Mazur’s “fiancé” is a worthy partner in both acting and in the film’s special operations story.  It’s a nice touch to present her as an agent first who is new on the job and rather plain, then show her to be a sharp, glamorous, multi-lingual woman who warmly reaches out to her partner’s contacts.  (I remember her especially for her portrayal of a border agent in the TV drama “The Bridge”, someone with a touch of Asperger’s.  None of that here!)

       Other actors deserving of credit are John Leguizamo as Mazur’s unpredictable co-agent, Amy Ryan as the head of the Customs agency, Olympia Dukakis as Mazur’s flamboyant aunt, and Benjamin Bratt as Mazur’s wealthy mark who befriends Mazur and Kathy.

A thriller that will grab you and make you jump in your seat.

Grade:  B                         By Donna R. Copeland