Review of All Eyez on Me (2017) by Dave M — 23 Jun 2017

The title of the 2017 bio-pic "All Eyez on Me" (R, 2:20) carries with it an arrogance that seems appropriate for its subject, the late rapper Tupac Shakur. He was arrogant, but as a means to an end, that of bringing about positive social change through his music. That title comes from Tupac's 1996 album, which was the last one released while he was still alive and was the first double album from a hip-hop artist. It was his fourth album and his second to hit the top spot on the Billboard album chart. And, much like the legacy of Tupac himself, its importance has only grown with time. The album reached Gold Record status in its first week of release and was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2008, having received numerous awards and music industry accolades in between. Similarly, Tupac himself continued to affect the industry through six posthumous album releases and the continuing influence of his music and his persona on hip-hop artists and on the social issues that he raised in his songs. Surely such a life deserves cinematic examination. This film does just that, albeit from a decidedly pro-Tupac perspective.

Tupac's story is told mostly as illustrative flashbacks through the framework of an on-camera jailhouse interview that he gave in 1995, while serving time for sexual assault. We see several short scenes from Tupac's childhood in New York City and his high school and college years in Baltimore. His mother, Afeni Shakur (Danai Gurira, known for her role as Michonne on TV's "The Walking Dead"), was a leader of the Black Panthers and intentionally passed on to her son her hatred for what she called the "racist, fascist, imperialist system" in the U.S. Although we see this young man (played by newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr.) as intelligent (frequently quoting Shakespeare), talented (winning the lead role in a college play), creative (writing poetry) and basically happy (especially in scenes with his close friend Jada Pinkett), Tupac learned his mother's lessons well, as we see in the music that he makes after moving out west.

Tupac didn't want to move again, but his arrival in Oakland opens up new and bigger outlets for his burgeoning talent. He joins and tours with the group Digital Underground and soon begins working on his solo career. He lands at Interscope Records where he has to fight to get his music released his way, but his music brings criticism for its misogynistic and violent lyrics. As Tupac becomes more famous, he also finds himself in a number of violent and legally troubling situations, including a run-in with police after jaywalking, his involvement in a shooting at a community gathering, a shooting incident involving two off-duty cops, Tupac himself being robbed and shot and the sexual assault case which sent him to prison. Each of these situations is portrayed from Tupac's point of view, with him as the victim of someone else's wrongdoing. The movie also focuses on the rapper's movie career and spends a lot of time on his involvement with Death Row Records and its infamous CEO, Suge Knight (Dominic L. Santana), his romance with Quincy Jones' daughter, Kidada (Annie Ilonzeh), and Tupac's friendship-turned-rivalry with rapper Biggie Smalls (Jamal Woolard, reprising his role from 2009's "Notorious").

"All Eyez on Me" is an interesting and well-crafted, although one-sided account of the life of one of the most important music artists of the 20th century. Directed by Benny Boom and written by Jeremy Haft, Eddie Gonzalez and Steven Bagatourian, this film represents the biggest project to date for all of them, but Movie Fans aren't likely to guess that from the film's quality. The framework of the interview for the first two-thirds of the run time is effective (although somewhat simplistic on occasion), giving us just enough backstory from Tupac's formative years to understand who he is and why. After that, the amount of time spent on his career and his various personal trials felt just about right, given the ongoing public interest in his music and his life (and death). This film's main strength is its acting, especially that of Shipp (who couples real talent with his almost eerie resemblance to Tupac) and Gurira (who looks and acts as well as a younger Viola Davis). Both of these talented actors give award-worthy performances. There is much of interest here, especially for those who know little of the details of Tupac Shakur's life (and even for those who know a lot about him), but it could have been even more satisfying than it was, by going even deeper into its subject's importance, instead of taking sides in the many controversies of his life. Still, it's a significant and well-crafted portrayal of one of the most influential lives in recent music history. "A-".