"8 Mile" style rags to riches tale that sees Oscar nominee Terence Howard play Djay, a struggling Memphis pimp who harbours dreams of one day becoming a rap superstar.
After a hard day on the streets (he flogs his tricks at 20 a pop, or 40 for back door action) DJay bumps into an old school mate, "Key" (Anthony Anderson), who is now working as a sound engineer.
After a few impassioned speeches and an impromptu rapping session DJay manages to convince Key to help him lay down some tracks.
With the record complete, Djay then heads off to meet platinum selling rapper Skinny Black (Ludacris) and tries to pull off the greatest hustle of his life.
They say:
Total Film: "A refreshing key change: rap without the pantomime. The music might not appeal to everyone, but the escapist humanity shines through."
Channel 4: "You'll believe a pimp can cry in a confident first feature that confirms Terrence Howard as one of American cinema's most promising talents."
Empire: "If Disney ever staged a musical version of Taxi Driver, it might crib notes from Hustle & Flow. It may not convince on every level, but this hip-hop hopeful deserves any breaks coming its way."
We say:
A hard hitting tale of struggle and redemption that smears the traditional American tale of the triumphant underdog with grime and grit.
Howard oozes charisma as the unloveable anti-hero while the casting choice of real life rapper Ludacris (last seen impressing in "Crash") to play Skinny Black is a masterstroke.
The Oscar winning soundtrack hits all the right notes and seeing Djay's "It's Hard Out There For a Pimp" progressing from a random sample in his bedroom to the finished article is a surprisingly thrilling experience.
The only problem is the level of misogyny in the film. Lyrics like "Stomp that ho" and "Wait, I got a snow bunny and a black girl too/ You pay the right price and they’ll both do you" often glamourise prostitution and violence to an unacceptable extent.
CAST
Terence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning
Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Isaac Hayes, Ludacris
DIRECTOR
Craig Brewer
TIME
116 min
POSTED...
Tue 21 Mar 2006 at 7:29pm
