This is an excellent thriller, with enough use of dialogue deftly interspersed with the action scenes to give depth to the characters and draw you in. Some of the monologues seem to tell a story all their own, creating a layered effect to the drama. The cast was very well chosen and put to good use to tell the very dramatic story. It is almost an ensemble cast because they seem to be so connected to each other. Some are obvious, and others you may only notice in reflection or a second viewing. The deft editing made this movie what it is. You may find yourself glued to your chair, breathless, waiting for the next move. Some scenes slow down a bit, while characters share fear, anger and pain, and then you're hit with a big change of pace. Sometimes there's a fade out, or fade in, but sometimes just a jolt. The lead actors, Jim Belushi and Tupac Shakur, play two cops who've gotten themselves into a big mess, out of which they can only lie, cheat, steal and kill in order to save their jobs, and their lives. Naturally, this behavior cannot help but hurt others. Jim and Tupac had a great chemistry here. Their acting was top notch. Belushi is really good in comedies, but put him in a heavy dramatic role and he really blooms. Tupac could have had a great career in acting had he not died so young. He is missed. There is a certain amount of comic relief here and there, which helps with the tension created by the chaos of crooked cops, drugs and murder. They will take you by surprise, no doubt. James Earl Jones is a wonderful addition to the cast, his character gently weaving the drama together to quite a surprising anti-climax. I know this type of film is not necessarily for everyone. Maybe fans have gotten a little tired of the bad cops story line. Personally, however, I think it's one of the very best on the subject to come out of Tinsel Town. Some reviewers felt it had no realism, but I think it had a bit too much. Some scenes are so realistic that my back crawls a bit. Cops are only people, and there are some good and some bad. This film is gritty and could be hard to take for some. But is IS good. No matter how many times I see it in the listings, I manage to sit down for at least some of it. Bottom line: great screenplay, excellent editing, dynamic acting and insightful and gifted directing. Highly recommend.

"Gang Related" is a passable diversion, if one doesn't take it too seriously. The performances are solid, with a stellar cast. Technical aspects are more than adequate, with a refreshing lack of jiggly-cam shots. The script offers some reasonably interesting three-dimensional characters. Dialogue is decent and the plot has a few satisfyingly unexpected twists. However, the script is also very weak in several areas. It attempts to intricately interweave the subplots and characters, but relies too heavily on coincidences. This is especially evident in the closing scenes. It's weak on police procedures, particularly regarding chain of custody, which is a key element. Motivations don't always make sense. At one point, an undercover investigator makes a drug buy, apparently with unmarked bills, without any backup, then leaves without putting the drugs in an evidence pouch and doesn't arrest the sellers or attempt to follow them or anything. At another point, somebody who supposedly has a hundred thousand dollars in cash socked away, needs to steal a few hundred dollars. The top-notch cast deserved a better screenplay.

Tupac Shakur's acting is absolutely superb!!! Shakur shines through even though he had the misfortune to be cast opposite the biggest let down of the movie.... *that joke* James Belushi.Belushi seems to be in a world of his own.But don't let that put you off because it's worth watching it for Shakur's extraordinary talent, and some of the support cast which carry Gang Related through! The story pulls you in emotionally as you find yourself caring.It's a shame that Shakur's chance to shine in future roles was cut short.

I like gang movies and especially 2Pac so I decided to see this film. It opens with Divinci (Belushi) and Rodriguez (2Pac), who are both undercover cops, selling $25,000 worth of cocaine to a man in a hotel. They then kill him soon after outside the hotel and take the drugs, not knowing that the man was also an undercover cop. So the murder gets out, and the two guys are selected by the police department to investigate the murder, which they happened to have committed. The pair finds a homeless man on the street, and brainwashes him into thinking that he killed the cop. The entire film Divinci and Rodriguez are trying to erase their path, even taking guns from the evidence-room at the police station to hide the evidence that they are the killers. The movie is generally boring, with the pair acting quite similar to Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon films, both of thm being generally stupid and clumsy. So the end of the film comes, and in a very confusing ending Divinci is killed by an unknown assailant and Rodriguez is killed by a mob leader whom he owed money. It was somewhat entertaining to see Belushi and 2Pac together and the dumb things they do throughout the film. It was very unclear why the film was entitled "Gang Related" and unless you are a die-hard fan of 2Pac or Belushi you should not waste your time on this. Feel free to email me if you have any questions or comments.