Above the Rim (1994)
After performing in a romantic movie Tupac goes back to his persona in Juice and does a likewise character named Birdie, a local thug in the neighborhood (complete with a scar in his face). But he plays more of a supporting character this time as the movie centers around a promising New York City high school basketball star who is being scouted. During the course of the movie he is torn between two people: Birdie the gangster, and Birdie’s brother Shep who’s the other star of the movie as he’s dealing with some inner demons which have to be solved when the end credits roll.
To me the character of Birdie not only felt to me like a sequel of Bishop in Juice but also like he’s playing himself, or his rap-persona, in the movie. He even wears the handkerchief on his bald head like he did in real life. Now his acting is good, I just think it would’ve been better if he played a different character other than a thug. The movie received mixed reviews but even the negative reviews pointed out that there was nothing wrong with the acting of the cast, and thus the acting of Tupac who’s mentioned again by Gene Siskel as “being a very good actor and very compelling” in this movie. Unlike Poetic Justice which featured no music at all of Tupac Above The Rim actually starts off with a track from Tupac over the opening credits.
Above The Rim also has the “honor” of being the last movie released before Tupac’s death.
You can read my review here.
