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Notorious: Collector's Edition - Unrated Director's Cut
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (18th November 2009). |
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The Film
 I can still vividly recall the bitter East Coast/West Coast hip-hop feud of the mid 90’s. I was in high school, and this was a time when MTV was still somewhat relevant, so I got my weekly updates via Kurt Loder on MTV News. Taunts were thrown back and forth in the form of incendiary lyrics set against the backdrop of rugged beats. Things kept escalating, and it was obvious to anyone watching that the situation would eventually come to a head. That breaking point came in September 1996 when Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in Las Vegas while traveling with his manager, Death Row Records head honcho, Suge Knight. It seemed that a simple rivalry between factions on both sides of the country had escalated dangerously out of control, leaving a popular public figure dead. Not long after, with the feud still going strong, Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G., was gunned down after leaving a party in Los Angeles in March of 1997. That event is generally viewed as the end point for the bitter war of words between both sides, as numerous public figures agreed that things had been taken much too far. But the irreversible damage had been done; two enormously famous rap artists were dead, although their legacies both continue to live on to this day. Shakur’s life has yet to be made into a theatrical film, though I suspect one is in development, but Wallace’s tale has finally been told 12 years after his untimely demise here with “Notorious” (2009). The only problem with it is that the filmmakers seem to think he was a far more saintly figure than most would believe. Christopher Wallace (Jamal “Gravy” Woolard) has one goal in life: to make money. The problem is the only way he knows how is by slinging crack rock on the streets of his hometown in Brooklyn, New York. But in his spare time his passion is writing lyrics and battling fellow rappers on the street in lyrical contests. One day, after a jail stay, he decides that music has to be the answer to his problems, and that selling drugs is going to lead him nowhere. Wallace, now christened Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls, sets out with his manager Sean “Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), to conquer the world of hip-hop while juggling kids, women, rivalries and life on the streets. First and foremost, I need to discuss Woolard’s portrayal of Biggie. If people didn’t know any better they could swear he WAS Biggie Smalls. He looks the part, he sounds the part, he raps the part... even Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mother, said that when he walked in to audition that she instantly saw her son in him. Woolard, an aspiring rapper himself, transforms himself fully into Biggie. Anyone who was familiar with the larger-than-life rapper will immediately notice how well he matches his mannerisms, speech inflections and rap style. Truly, the stand–out of the film, he does a fantastic job in this role and it’s hard to believe that this was his first acting gig. Another spot-on performance comes courtesy of Angela Bassett as Voletta Wallace, Biggie’s mother. Bassett adds a touch of class and elegance to a film rife with shady characters and a few under-performing actors. She strides a fine line playing a concerned mother, careful to never overdo the emotion put forth, which would have turned many scenes in the film from thoughtful and caring to a sappy Lifetime movie. In a city where many mothers appear to be strung-out on drugs or neglectful of their children, Voletta instills in Christopher a strong moral compass that he uses to guide his actions throughout the film. Now, whether or not Biggie indeed followed his mother’s examples is a question worth examining, but here in the film she is a positive role model for him and his children. Now, here’s my beef with this film: Biggie Smalls was not a saint. Hell, the uninitiated may see him as the black Mother Teresa. The film portrays Biggie as a troubled youth who just gets mixed up with some of the wrong people, but he always has the best of intentions. He never means to hurt anybody, he cries when Tupac dies and they never get a chance to reconcile, he and Puffy are doing whatever they can to “change the world”. I’m sorry, but I just don’t believe he was this superior being who may have done some bad things, but ultimately was above being an out-and-out thug. I understand that this film was meant to honor his memory, but they script is imbued with so many “hard knock life” clichés and situations that it eventually becomes hard to take seriously. Biggie and Puffy talk at great length about changing the world. With what? Rap? Seriously, guys, you’re making beats and making money. I kept waiting for a scene where they philanthropically donate all of their earnings to a notable charity. These guys got in the game for one reason: money. That point is made in the film quite often, but the filmmakers keep painting Biggie as the peacekeeper in every situation. I find it difficult to believe that he didn’t have the same anger that his rivals seem to possess. But, if I’m wrong then the guy was an exception to the oft-seen rule. Another problem was the lack of attention to the many women in Biggie’s life. Though all of the principal ladies have plenty of screen time to let us know how important they were to the big guy, we see him transition from one to the next with little detail on how his previous relationships ended. His baby’s mama, Jan (Julia Pace Mitchell), seems to be the love of his life. They have a child and, though he was reluctant to be a father, he seems to be doing all he can to provide for his daughter. Next thing you know, he’s banging the (incredible) ass off of Lil’ Kim (Naturi Naughton), a girl he spits some game at on the streets. Now all of a sudden Jan is nowhere to be seen and Biggie spends all of his time with Kim. But then Faith Evans (Antonique Smith) comes along, and soon Biggie is smitten by her and marries her in the span of about 10 minutes. I know that incorporating all of the details of his life would have been far too time-consuming, but the editing on these segues from woman to woman seemed awfully sloppy. In the end, “Notorious” has good intentions, and features some strong performances, but it’s the use of clichés and hackneyed plotlines as a crutch that keeps the film from being great. I’ll bet Biggie had a storied life that would have stood on its own without the use of overused plot devices and holier-than-thou writing. It’s a shame that director George Tillman Jr. didn’t seize an opportunity to make that film rather than another by-the-numbers film about a young street hustler making it big. This could have been hip-hop’s answer to “Walk the Line” (2005), but instead it’s another missed opportunity like 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” (2005).
Video
“Notorious” boasts a superb 2.40:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer which impresses on almost every level. The image on display here is sharp and exceedingly well-defined. Colors and skin tones have a natural look to them, never appearing too hot, soft or washed out. The gritty streets of Brooklyn have been appropriately recreated here, with lots of background detail present to add to the film’s urban authenticity. I was a little worried at first because the opening scene takes place in a dimly-lit nightclub and there was a heavy dose of grain that I feared would permeate the entire picture. Thankfully, that scene and a few others are exceptions to the rule. This is a stunning image throughout that benefits greatly from high-definition.
Audio
This is a film about the life of a hip-hop legend, so we had better be getting some house-shaking bass. And indeed we do. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit thumps with resonating bass that will leave your subwoofer begging for mercy. Likewise, since the film is about a rapper, we receive crystal clear dialogue so that viewers can make out every slurred syllable Biggie’s spits forth from his gaping maw. Levels are even enough that the bass never overpowers the lyrics, leaving us with a perfect balance between the two which provides a more discernible experience than a live concert would likely have yielded. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
“Notorious” features a whale-sized package of features on this 2-disc Blu-ray, including two audio commentaries, multiple featurettes, concert footage, deleted scenes, interactive features, bonus trailers and a digital copy. DISC ONE: A more technical audio commentary with director George Tillman Jr., co-screenwriters Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker, and editor Dirk Westervelt starts off the supplements. Aside from some candid recollections on Biggie’s life, this track primarily focuses on the writing of the script and how they worked to capture the essence of the film’s characters. The foursome speaks at length about the minutia in Biggie’s life that was worked into the script. Oddly enough, for so many participants there are some gaps of silence. The second audio commentary with producer/Biggie’s mother Voletta Wallace, producer/Biggie’s co-manager Wayne Barrow and producer/Biggie’s co-manager Mark Pitts is a much more insightful, personal track. Since all of these people were so close to Biggie, especially (obviously) his mother, this track really delves deep into who Biggie was as a person and how accurate many of the characterizations are to their real-life personas. Lots of anecdotes are shared that do a great job of filling us in on details of Biggie’s life that the film wasn’t able to include. “The Music” is a BD-Live powered interactive feature which allows viewers to create playlists and purchase Biggie songs through iTunes as they play throughout the movie. Once you create a playlist, simply enter your email address and iTunes will send you a link to where you can download it. This is only available for the "Theatrical" version of the film. “BonusView: Life After Death: Making Notorious” is an interactive picture-in-picture video commentary for profile 1.1 players which allows viewers to watch picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes material related to scenes within the film. If you prefer to not have pop-up windows during playback, viewers can also watch all of the clips strung together in one long segment which runs for 26 minutes and 48 seconds. These clips primarily feature interviews filling viewers in on the real Biggie and what he was like. This is only available for the "Theatrical" version of the film. “Behind the Scenes: The Making of Notorious” is a featurette which runs for 27 minutes and 22 seconds. This is a bit more in-depth than your average making-of supplement. A good portion is dedicated to the crucial casting of Biggie, while the rest is compiled with interviews from the cast, crew and real life people portrayed in the film discussing the efforts made the remain true to authenticity. “I Got A Story To Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls” is a featurette which runs for 9 minutes and 32 seconds. Biggie’s friends, peers and critics discuss his impact on the world of hip-hop thanks to his powerful and memorable lyrics. “Notorious Thugs: Casting the Film” is a featurette which runs for 9 minutes and 8 seconds. Director George Tillman Jr. and the film’s casting directors discuss the approach their team took to casting the roles of those closest to Biggie in his life, and what they looked for in each actor to make sure they could be as authentic as possible. “Biggie Boot Camp” is a featurette which runs for 6 minutes and 48 seconds. Tillman talks about the 3-4 month “boot camp” in which all of the principal cast had to work hard to get down their parts so as to be as close to their real life counterparts as possible. “Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance” is a featurette which runs for 5 minutes and 15 seconds. Tillman talks about why he felt the performances needed to be so true to Biggie’s real-life concerts, namely since many people never got a chance to see him live. “Party & Bullshit” is a concert video which runs for 3 minutes and 43 seconds. This is the actual performance Biggie gave of the song heard in the movie. Video and audio are both pretty raw, but it’s a nice touch to see it included here. “The B.I.G. Three-Sixty” is an interactive feature which allows viewers to get a more close-up look at some of the film’s location and the making-of some key scenes. There are 10 deleted scenes available to watch individually or with the “play all” option: - “Assassin Assembles his Gun” runs for 41 seconds. We see Biggie’s assumed killer getting prepared. - “Taking Care of Business” runs for 1 minute and 32 seconds. This is an extension of the scene where Biggie sells a pregnant woman crack. - “Big on his Own” runs for 36 seconds. Big wants to step up his game after getting kicked out. - “Finding Inspiration” runs for 1 minute and 38 seconds. Big looks for something to inspire him in the studio. - “The Assassin Watches” runs for 46 seconds. Big’s killer watches some footage of him from earlier in the day. - “In the Hotel Pool” runs for 2 minutes and 2 seconds. Big and Kim talk in their private pool. - “East Coast in the House” runs for 1 minute and 9 seconds. Snoop Dogg (uncredited actor) takes over the stage at the Source Awards. - “After the Accident” runs for 1 minute and 9 seconds. Puffy talks with Biggie after the car crash. - “The Assassin Backs Up” runs for 53 seconds. The assassin heads out to find Biggie. - “Extended Concert: Primo Street Rap” runs for 1 minute and 48 seconds. We get some extra footage from the street rap battle. The Blu-ray opens with bonus trailers, not selectable from the menus, for the following: - “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” runs for 2 minutes and 15 seconds. - “Valkyrie” runs for 2 minutes and 32 seconds. - “Slumdog Millionaire” runs for 2 minutes and 5 seconds. - “The Wrestler” runs for 2 minutes and 31 seconds. - “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy” runs for 51 seconds. DISC TWO: This is a digital copy of the film for portable media devices. The packaging makes no mention of whether this is the "Theatrical" or "Unrated Director's Cut" of the film.
Overall
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