Notorious
Notorious
Review by Mawunyo Gbogbo
Never before have I sat in a cinema where viewers have clapped, cheered and hollered in appreciation as the credits rolled. The biopic about the slain rapper the Notorious BIG (aka Christopher ‘Biggie Smalls’ Wallace) tells the story of his life and death through drama, music and most notably humour. Weaved intricately throughout the plot was the type of wittiness that was evidently a significant part of Biggie’s character. He was by all accounts known for his charisma. But there was also a dark side to his multi-faceted personality, and the movie does not shy away from this.
‘Notorious’ is set against the backdrop of 1990s Gangsta rap. It was an era where truth and fiction was often blurred to the point where some rappers felt they needed to live up to the lifestyle they portrayed in their rhymes, no matter how distant that reality had become.
The cyclic nature of the film takes into account that viewers know how it will end – with the 1997 drive-by shooting and subsequent death of the Notorious BIG. Once this is established, the movie flashes back to chronicle Biggie’s days in the playground where he was taunted and told he would amount to nothing. The young Christopher Wallace is played by none other than the late rapper’s own son – Christopher Jordan Wallace.
Biggie goes on to outwit those who disrespect him. Once confronted with his clever and often spontaneous lyricism, coupled with the precision of his delivery, those initially thrown by his somewhat unflattering appearance go on to show nothing but love.
When Biggie is introduced to the up and coming entrepreneur then known as Puff Daddy (aka Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs) he is forced to choose between a life peddling drugs on the Brooklyn streets and potential domination of the rap world. Not without drama, Biggie follows his dream, and becomes one of the most influential voices in Hip Hop.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is credited as the Executive Producer of the film and Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, is a Producer. The story is reportedly told her way. Even so, there is plenty of grit. Ms Wallace is quoted as saying she learnt things about her son even she did not know. We see both the positive and negative sides to Biggie’s persona, which alternates between irresistible charm and the type of moral decline that sees him selling drugs to a pregnant woman. The depiction of violence, promiscuity and drug peddling is ever present, but it is not glamourised.
Viewers are given an insight into the relationship between Biggie Smalls and the late rapper Tupac Shakur before things descend into East Coast-West Coast warfare. 2pac’s people may have portrayed this part differently.
For the most part the casting was tight, but the movie opened to mixed reaction in the United States from those who were portrayed in the film. Lil’ Kim (aka Kimberly Jones), played by 3LW singer Naturi Naughton, is said to be unhappy with the way she was characterised. But Naughton is outstanding in her brave depiction of the femcee.
Newcomer, Jamal Woolard does the principle character justice. The soundtrack seamlessly alternates between songs recorded by the late rapper and verses rapped by Woolard himself. Angela Bassett puts on a solid performance as Biggie’s mother, but she often slips in and out of the Jamaican accent. And Derek Luke – as brilliant an actor as he is – almost played Puffy as a parody.
One of the best things about the movie was the music, which featured classics such as ‘Juicy’ and ‘Hypnotize’. The official soundtrack will also include never-before-released demos and new tracks by Jay-Z and Jadakiss as well as the Kanye West-produced ‘Brooklyn Go Hard’.
While Eminem’s ‘Eight Mile’ was an underdog story and 50 Cent’s ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ was more about overcoming adversity, ‘Notorious’ is predominately character driven. ‘Notorious’ is an incredible movie based on a truly incredible life story. I highly recommend it.
‘Notorious’ hits Australian Cinemas on March 12
