RIP Tupac Shakur (1971-1996).

Belushi and Shakur make for a good team in an otherwise average crime thriller. Belushi is the more brutal of the two as he goes around kicking and blasting while the more sympathetic Shakur is trying to keep it together and also seems to feel some form of guilt over the crimes that he and his partner have committed. As is often the case in films like this, the deeper the two cops get in trying to cover up their crime, the more their world seems to fall apart. Real criminals that they have arrested are acquitted because they have used the stolen evidence in other cases, some of their phony witnesseses are buckling under pressure, and the man who they try to stick the murder charge to turns out to be more than what they expected. Through it all, Belushi and Shakur have a real chemistry and the audience often finds itself rooting for these guys who are in all honesty, complete jerks.

Many of Shakur's hardcore fans often praise his performance, which is real good, but Belushi is the one carrying the team here. Not to say that Shakur does not give an excellent performance but his role is less-defined so without Belushi, the film doesn't work. He is the one we all love to hate here. A scumbag homicide cop with homicidal tendencies who seems to keep testing his luck in every area. Shakur is more or less the guilty conscience of the duo. The more the story progresses, the worse he seems to feel about what he has done.

The interesting thing is how Shakur's character compliments Belushi's. Once the two are no longer functioning as a unit, Belushi is lost in our eyes. The little sympathy we felt for his character is gone. The way that he distances himself from Shakur is one of the few noble things that he does in the film but unfortunately, without his partner to save him, he is beyond help. He is now just a renegade without a purpose and we as an audience know that wherever he is going, he is in for some trouble.

"Gang Related" is not an excellent movie. The story seems to wear thin in some areas but the film's two leads really keep this one above water. James Belushi turns in one of his best perfomances in some time in a role much different from what you're used to seeing from him. Shakur, in somewhat of a low-key performance is absolutely brilliant. Many people criticize rappers for trying to pick up a second paycheck without mastering the acting craft. Shakur is so natural as an actor, you would think it was his first love. It is a shame that Tupac never got an opportunity to be all that he could as far as acting goes. "Related" is not exactly an original concept but it is worth the time spent as it takes you for a nice little ride. On a side note, the Pac-influenced soundtrack of the film also helped give it a more professional feel.