Note: This film is arriving on Blu-ray July 19th through Olive Films.
In the mid 90s, rapper Tupac Shakur was only beginning to build a resume as an actor. His most notable credits were for roles in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993) and Above the Rim (1994). Gang Related marked a different sort of character for the performer; that of a crooked LA cop battling a gambling addiction and struggling with the consequences of his underhanded actions. Unfortunately, it also marked his last onscreen appearance. Shakur was shot and succumbed to his injuries the year before this movie was theatrically released.
The film was released on DVD in 2001 but has been out-of-print ever since. Now, fans can catch up with his final performance in a sharp new Blu-ray that is arriving courtesy of Olive Films. This is a pulpy crime flick that occasionally comes across as a bit too hard boiled for its own good. However, there’s still plenty to enjoy from this crime thriller, particularly in the work of co-star Shakur.
He plays the level-headed and (among the characters present) mild-mannered Detective Rodriguez. Following the lead of his partner Frank Divinci (James Belushi), the two have been profiteering from drugs and money sitting in the evidence room. Things go haywire when the set up a dealer and abscond with his cash and drugs. They soon learn that the man killed was an undercover DEA agent and that a Federal Agent named Simms (Gary Cole) will stop at nothing to catch the person responsible. The pair begin making desperate moves to keep themselves from being caught. Evidence is planted and moved around to implicate a drunken homeless man (Dennis Quaid). However, their scheme begins to unravel when details are revealed about the street person’s true identity.
Of course, anything that can go wrong invariably does. Throughout it all, the fast-talking, arrogant and overconfident Divinci remains determined to cover their tracks, barking demands and manipulating those around to follow his lead. Rodriguez is less convinced, his guilty conscience becoming more and more pronounced as events spiral further out of control.
The movie boasts a very strong and recognizable cast that also includes Lela Rochon, James Earl Jones, David Paymer and Wendy Crewson. Honestly though, Shakur’s performance may be the strongest of the bunch. His torment and concern appears mostly internalized, resulting in an effective and understated performance that never veers into the kind of histrionics written for his costars.
There’s a lot of tough-guy and tough-lady snarling on display and some of the four-lettered insults from supporting cast members (sometimes muttered during courtroom trials) are a little hard to believe; at times everyone seems to be attempting to out-grizzle each other. Shakur doesn’t get involved in this kind of scenery chewing, keeping his cool and coming off as more authentic and tortured in the process.
Even if the story isn’t always convincing, it’s usually interesting. And the plot keeps moving at a rapid clip, with a new complication following every time the leads think they have their bases covered. The Blu-ray disc boasts strong image quality. The neon-tinged nighttime exteriors and dark interiors really pop more than they have in the past. While there are some dirt speckles here and there, this is a bright and sharp Blu-ray with plenty of new detail.
The release also includes a feature trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette made during the film’s production. Obviously, many lament the music Tupac Shakur could have created had he not passed away so young. But it’s also unfortunate that we didn’t get to see more of Shakur on the screen. It appears as though he was really developing as an actor, getting better and better. At least fans can now enjoy Gang Related in high definition and enjoy one of his strongest performances.