Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. the rapper Notorious B.I.G/Biggie Smalls, would have been 35 years old this month. Biggie was an unfortunate casualty of the East Coast/West Coast rappers' feud, killed in March 1997 after a party in Los Angeles, just six months after West Coast rapper (and former Smalls friend) Tupac Shakur was killed in Las Vegas. Biggie's album "Life After Death" was released two weeks after his death to worldwide success, selling 10 million albums. Biggie was raised in New York by his mother Voletta, but eventually turned to selling drugs as a means of making money. After being arrested for drug charges, he then turned to music and started rapping, with lyrics that felt autobiographical at times. While his life was tragically cut short, Voletta helped ensure the story of his 24 years of life were told, hence the film Notorious.

Written by Reggie Rock Bythewood (Get on the Bus) and Cheo Hodari Coker, George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor) directs. The film chronicles Wallace's upbringing, starting in elementary school, then onto drug dealing. You see his incarceration for dealing and emergence from prison, where he records a demo tape and eventually meets Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs (Derek Luke, Antwone Fisher). Biggie and Puff work their way towards a record deal for Biggie which eventually falls through, but it doesn't stop Combs from starting Bad Boy Entertainment and signing Biggie to a record deal. The friendship with Shakur (Anthony Mackie, We Are Marshall) is shown, along with the dissolving of same, with Shakur's attempted murder as the catalyst of it. Biggie's relationships with his son's mother, along with Lil' Kim (Naturi Naughton, Fame) and Faith Evans (Antonique Smith, Across the Universe) are also shown. Wallace is played in the film by Jamal Woolard, appearing in his first film role, and Voletta is played by Angela Bassett (What's Love Got to do With It).

Voletta served as producer to the film and was a valuable resource to the filmmakers as a resource for details and stories. And to be sure, Biggie is portrayed with some flaws, with his various infidelities and enjoyment of women shown in fairly explicit detail. His drug dealing is also shown, and while it's a limited exposure, there is a slightly cringeworthy scene where he sells some crack to a pregnant mother. But past that, it seems as if the portrayal infers that he was a gentle guy, who found himself caught in the middle of a battle (first on the streets selling drugs, then later in the East/West feud) that he didn't want to be a part of. There was a conscious decision to start dealing, and decisions to cheat on wives and girlfriends with other women. Those decisions aren't explored very deeply. As such, Notorious at times feels like a biopic which got a familial blessing but didn't take any bold steps of note for fear of becoming unauthorized.

From a casting perspective, it's eerie to see how much Woolard resembles Smalls. At a concert at Howard University, one of the earliest public signs that his music could reach many, Woolard wears a headband low on his head, covering one eye, as he performs the song "Party and B***S***". The resemblance is amazing. Luke on the same stage as Puffy shows off the stage persona of Combs at the time, but off stage, he captures the ambition that Combs is known for having rather effectively. And speaking of amazing resemblances, the young pre-teen Wallace is played by Biggie's son (with Evans). The adherence to detail is admirable.

Ultimately, the film helps serve as a reminder of what was lost. In between Wallace and Shakur, we don't get to listen to any more memorable lyrics. With Wallace, who expressed a desire to a more uplifting theme in his music, we miss a talented man, and a loving father who doesn't get to see his kids grow up. We don't get to see him changed by the their lives, and we don't get to see it reflected in his music. Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. the rapper Notorious B.I.G/Biggie Smalls, would have been 35 years old this month.

Fox provides the viewer with a 123 minute theatrical cut of Notorious to go along with a 129 minute Director's Cut, which can be chosen either before the disc loads or at the main menu. On this BD-50, both versions are housed, and the 2.40:1 high definition widescreen presentation is shown off with the AVC MPEG-4 codec. At first glance, it would seem like Tillman and Cinematographer Michael Grady (Factory Girl) might have done some color correction, when you see a shot where B.I.G. is counting money and the shot is devoid of color, save for the light brown color of a full ashtray. But then you get to shots of Biggie's youth, or later scenes during the East/West rivalry, and those browns and reds are vividly and accurately reproduced. Blacks are deep and consistent without noticeable wavering. The film does juggle news footage with shot film rather adeptly, but there is some film grain that is slightly distracting at minor points. That said, Notorious looks excellent.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track brings Biggie's music back in a big way. Low end fidelity is a requirement for the soundtrack, and you get ample doses of it, but not in such a way that it kills the enjoyment of the film. Directional effects in the concerts and red carpet premieres put the viewer in the middle of the events. And along with all of this, dialogue is well-balanced, requires little (if any) user compensation, and doesn't waver at all. And oh by the way, whatever music you hear that's not Biggie's is the score of Danny Elfman. I know, right? Whether you like rap or not, you can't deny that Notorious is a mighty impressive sounding Blu-ray.

Fox gives Notorious a loaded package, starting with downloadable BD-Live content which is impressive. Aside from the trivia track which you can turn on and off on the fly, there's the opportunity to create a playlist using the music in the film, and the opportunity to purchase it on iTunes if you'd like. But that's not all, the disc includes the picture-in-picture BonusView experience from Fox, which you can play separately if you choose (26:45). It shows you how the critics and friends viewed B.I.G. and his music, and how Woolard got ready for the role and worked on set. The cast members discuss their thoughts on playing those as part of B.I.G's life, with some rehearsal and audition footage sprinkled in. It complements the feature, which is what it's supposed to do.

Moving on, two commentaries grace the film. The first has Tillman, Bythewood , Coker and Editor Dirk Westervelt. They go over some of the history of the events and how scenes came together, with Westervelt occasionally chiming in on the editorial intent. What's disappointing is that with four people all sitting in the room, there's still frequent gaps of silence with the guys watching the film. Come on, give me some production info! The second track includes Voletta and Biggie's managers (Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts). This one is a little more low key, with Wallace frequently tossing some extended details of some scenes in the film, while Barrow and Pitts ask her about some of those areas, and fill in some gaps on the production in others. It's about as good as the first track was, but in a different way. Next up is the "Making Of" look at the film (27:22), which includes much more on the production of the film, the casting inspirations and audition tapes for many of the stars. They also share their thoughts some more on the real people, while Wallace shares her thoughts on the casting decisions. Filming on location in New York is touched on, and the need for authenticity from the props, hair and wardrobe areas of the production are illustrated. "I Got a Story to Tell" (9:32) looks at B.I.G.'s music and words, how he worked in studio and on stage, featuring interviews from those he worked with in those areas. "Notorious Thugs" (9:05) looks at the actors who play B.I.G.'s friends in the films, and interviews with the real "thugs". "Biggie Boot Camp" (6:48) looks at the work Woolard put into transforming into the rapper, with voiceover by Tillman. "Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance" (5:15) examines the work put into shooting a concert for the film, while a separate glimpse at a real B.I.G. performance is next (3:43). Ten deleted scenes (12:15) follow, but aside from continually framing the murder, nothing of real consequence. "The B.I.G. Three Sixty" looks at the Los Angeles set/street where they filmed B.I.G.'s murder. Trailers for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Valkyrie, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler and Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Comedy complete the first disc. On the second disc, a digital copy of the theatrical cut completes a surprisingly exhaustive set.

If you're a fan of Biggie Smalls, then much of what you see in Notorious is familiar. I remember seeing the VH-1 "Behind the Music" special on Biggie years ago, and didn't really learn much new information from the film. Still, seeing Wallace almost reanimated in Woolard and many other actors makes one almost feel like he never left. Technically the Blu-ray disc looks and sounds excellent and has got a bunch of solid extras on it (points to Fox for the BD-Live content), and is worth a rental for the uninitiated.