Tupac’s life story can’t be broken down into sound bites. He’s not strictly a gangsta rapper or a revolutionary, because he was both. He wrote some of the most powerful songs ever about black women, but he was also found guilty of sexually abusing one.
Tupac wasn’t a saint, he was complicated, as we all are. All Eyez on Me gets this. And, since he’s not here to tell his story, we’re forced to rely on others’ accounts to understand the pivotal moments of his life. And many them are deceased as well, such as his friend-turned-rival Notorious B.I.G. And let’s not forget about probably most controversial figure in his life, Suge Knight, the mercurial owner of Death Row, who isn’t talking, partly because he’s in jail on murder charges.
I heard a lot of negative reviews about this film – including that his own mother (Afeni Shakur) did not approve of this document and refused to take credit as a producer. But most details of his life are meticulously researched and painstakingly presented, down to the outfits he wore and the petty fights he picked. Yes, the film portrays him as a monumental talent who transcended music to become a cultural icon (which, anyway, is accurate), but it also shows every messy step along the way. Most biopics tend to break characters down into two categories: good or bad. Something I enjoyed about All Eyez On Me is that you can see that Tupac did some great things, but he also made mistakes and did bad things.
On the whole, All Eyez on Me should be celebrated for its forthright and accurate-as-possible portrayal of Tupac Shakur.
Some more interesting facts…
The film’s director, Benny Boom, is best known for music videos, but he’s done something remarkable here: He’s taken a legend and made him into a man. Most movies do the opposite. Instead, Boom’s work is a crowd pleaser that doubles as a historical document.
All Eyez on Me had such a difficult time getting made. With around eight years in the works, it went through multiple directors and writers.
This is Demetrius Shipp Jr (who portays Tupac) first movie role.
The film is Rated R so you should expect violence (including gun use and shooting, knives and stabbing, bloody wounds and beatings). Language is near constant and extremely strong, with countless uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," and the "N" word. And, of course, nudity, the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol and everything else you would associate with an R rated movie.
Comments