Furman's movie lacks the craft or the confidence to address the unresolved questions of institutional cancer.
Read full articleCity of Lies is more James Ellroy than docudrama, resulting in a tired police thriller that hitched its wagon to an untenable star.
Read full articleAs a thriller, it never quite reaches its boiling point, which may be one reason it's been sitting on the shelf since 2018. But as the portrait of a man obsessed and the forces stacked up against him, it earns its stripes.
Read full articleIt's interesting from a forensic standpoint... It ties whole things [about the case] together.
Read full articleDepp and Forest Whitaker go for authenticity in the gritty drama reminiscent of '70s procedurals.
Read full articleThe Depp-Whitaker acting duet glues this messy movie together, along with hard-boiled true-crime elements, gritty L.A. backdrops, cherry cars and a propulsive soundtrack that includes Tupac Shakur, N.W.A. and Biggie.
Read full article[City of Lies has] a deeply trite message, to be sure, but in our current world of falsehood, perhaps not a bad one to rehash.
Read full articleOverall, City of Lies seems more intent on wallowing in LA grit than in finding a powerful through-line for its two stars and the large cast that surrounds them.
Read full articleIt's not a great movie, but watching Depp and Whitaker play off each other is interesting, as long as you have the volume up. The story itself is compelling, especially since it has never been solved
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