Well, what a lost film. The film isn't bad, but it's not good. The thing is that this film lacked direction. The rest isn't that bad, but it seems like the film doesn't know what it's going to be or what direction to take. Is it a drama? Is it a thriller? Is it a social film? It's clear that he tries to mix genres, but he doesn't have the ability to do so. I even think that a documentary format would be appropriate since it is a cold case.

City of Lies dives into the compelling and still-reverberating mystery of the Notorious B.I.G. murder, but it ultimately feels like a film struggling with its own identity. It is clearly trying a little too hard to mirror the atmospheric, obsessive procedural tension of Zodiac, yet it consistently misses the mark by failing to build that same sense of dread or narrative precision. While the true-crime elements make for an inherently interesting story and Johnny Depp delivers a grounded performance, the execution feels a bit lacking.

It was the cast that pulled me into this movie not the story. To be honest, other than the fact who got shot I knew nothing about it. So, I had some difficulties following the story with all the back and forth. It was a little confusing. The first half builds up quite well but the movie drifts more and more away from the shooting and centers around Depp's character. The last scene of the movie being about him underlines that. And, considering the allegations this movie makes, it falls on it's bottom completely. If this is indeed a cover-up they should have made more out of that.