Following the recent Straight Outta Compton, we now have another rap biopic, this time focused on the life and death of Tupac Shakur. Whilst it only intersects briefly with that film, when Tupac signs for Death Row records, the story arc feels so familiar, not only with Straight Outta Compton but pretty much every musical biopic that I’ve seen.
An idealistic, principled and talented young man gets corrupted and squanders his talents. So we get scenes set in the recording studio as Tupac wows his producers, in hotel rooms with scantily clad groupies and shouting matches with the record company executives when he finds out that he isn’t earning anything from his success. The early part of the film showing his upbringing are the most interesting because of the political activities of his mother who was a key member of the Black Panthers movement. In fact, a film about her and her family at that time would probably have been better.
As we hit the two hour mark, things really begin to drag. As well as getting tired of the clichés, I was weary of Tupac being treated as a revolutionary whilst coming across as just another idiot gang member. There are also too many foreshadowing moments and we approached his inevitable murder.
This was a potentially interesting subject with a decent lead performance from Demetrius Shipp Jr, but it ended up a bit dull.
Rating: 5 out of 10