Notorious stirs up ‘a broad range of emotions’

It was all a dream-the dream of a black male from Brooklyn whose way of life has caught up with him. It’s a dream that chronicles the dramatic rise of a stoop-bound bookworm to a bona fide hustler. It’s a dream that turned Christopher Wallace into one of the world’s greatest rappers: Notorious B.I.G. Notorious was directed by George Tillman Jr., who sets out to chronicle the short life of Notorious B.I.G, also known as Biggie Smalls. The journey begins in Los Angeles just after a drive-by shooting. The viewer is then taken back in time to Brooklyn, New York circa 1980’s. Here a young Wallace-played by Wallace’s real life son, Christopher Jordan Wallace-becomes enamored with the way of the hustle and is lured in by the commodities it affords. With a crash course in street pharmaceuticals, Wallace becomes a drug dealer by day, a rapper by night. The long arm of the law manages to catch up to Wallace, now portrayed as an adult by Jamal Woolard. Woolard bears a remarkable resemblance to the rapper, signature voice included. Wallace spends time in prison where he refines his rhyming skills. Soon after his release, he catches the attention of Sean “Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), who promises Biggie grandeur, fame, and most importantly, money. After hardships and a close encounter with the law that almost lands him in jail again, Biggie makes it. His rollercoaster ride of fame, love, and feuds with one time friend Tupac Amaru Shakur (Anthonie Mackey) and the West-Coast Rap Scene is depicted vividly. The soundtrack provides a feel-good vibe and has the audience moving in their seats and exclaiming, “I love it when you call me Big Poppa,” right along with the crowd in the movie’s club scenes.The cinematography is splendid and is reminiscent of rap-videos, which gives the film authenticity. As the film comes to a close, we dread the inevitable. We hope that this time the story will end differently. We pray that the ending we all know isn’t the ending we’re going to see. When it does happen, the sheer emotion exerted by the actors-namely Angela Basset, who plays the part of Biggie’s mother-is palpable.The movie does have it short comings, however. Character development for certain key characters such as Tupac and Puffy were lax. In addition, Lil’ Kim’s character is one-dimensional. The film, ultimately, leaves the audience with a broad range of emotions. Nostalgia, sadness, and excitement all surge through the audience as this film does its job: telling the story of the world’s greatest rapper. Close friend Sean Combs (formerly Puffy/P.Diddy) was executive producer on the film. Notorious is now playing in theatres everywhere and locally at Cinemark Theatres Mall del Norte and Hollywood Theatres.