Hustle & Flow
2005
Cast: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Ludacris, Elise Neal, Isaac Hayes
Genre: Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $23 million
Plot: With help from his friends, a Memphis pimp in a mid-life crisis attempts to become a successful hip hop emcee
'One Of The Few Fulfilling Music-Based Movie Dramas'
A hip-hop themed rags-to-riches drama that plays out like Pretty Woman meets Cadillac Records and 8 Mile, Hustle & Flow was a deserved winner at the Sundance Film Festival & is directed by writer-director, Craig Brewer. Whilst 8 Mile walked a line between realism and being a musical artist, the film starred an established rapper in Eminem. Hustle & Flow is in the same vein as the former movie as a character redemption & underdog study - only it is harsher, grittier and rougher around the edges but with actor, Terrance Howard, who beforehand, wasn't and isn't known for playing so-called anti-heroes and truly despicable bad guys.
& still, Hustle and Flow possessed that energy and spirit of what being a music artist is all about, in his/her attempts at making it big, whilst at the same time, depicting the harsh realities of living through the ghetto slums of the deep down dirty South. Bought by MTV films and released through Paramount, the title of the film paints a portrait of the world of hustling & surviving through the 'Hustle' part and the term, 'flow' alludes to rapping itself.
Terrence Howard is at his sheer best, and he has never been as better as he is here with a performance that far outstrips his other roles and one that showcases his rap skills and acting talent; he inhabits this character with a swagger and a natural ability and so could easily convince as a rapper with his flows and rap delivery of his lines. A pimp by day (or be it night) in a small town in Memphis, DJay exploits women and often acts like a thug and treats them like dirt -, and yet, by nature, he is not a callous and evil person who lacks compassion and empathy. He is having a mid-life crisis; with that, in a last-ditch attempt, Djay sees music as his way out of it. With the help of a few hookers, a stripper who has a son from a previous marriage and a chance encounter with technician friend, Key & a sound mixer, DJay puts together his material and seizes the opportunity, while impressing a famous hip hop artist, Skinny Black (played by rapper Ludacris aka Chris Bridges) who has arrived in town. Both Taryn Manning and Taraji P. Henson as pregnant Shug benefit with worthwhile performances as the prostitutes in DJay's life, whereas Anthony Anderson was impressive in a much- toned down role, compared to his general comedy-based turns, but it is Howard, himself, who as the lead, runs away with the film. The performances, all-around, encompass so much depth due to the dynamically layered characters', and also it allows the audience to feel for and empathize with them & their hardships.
What makes Hustle and Flow stand out from the pack of many other music-related films is the authenticity in its portrayal of hip hop which isn't sugar-coated and Brewer's direction that whilst it is raw and has that indie-like feel, it is still entertaining & hugely compelling with a great soundtrack and a narrative in tandem with Djay's growing confidence behind the mic. It could be said that Hustle & Flow isn't really about actual music (I would digress) and more about DJ, who, at the beginning of the film, is someone you'd loathe and the story is more about him transitioning towards being a better person & to fulfil his life long dream. The hip hop rap theme which is interwoven into the subtexts of prostitution and narcotics is done in an energetic way that allows the audience to have a better understanding of and respect for and towards rap and what it embodies and what it highlights to audiences, especially those who are unfamiliar with or aren't fans of hip hop.
A formulaic story, this one makes every attempt not to follow in the same path as so many music-based drama films as it descends towards the darker and grittier territory, but also there is a heart lying within the story and a glimpse that as much as things can get desperate and murkier, there is also light and hope, as long as s/he keeps believing in it. Through this, it prevents Hustle & Flow from being relentlessly grim and tawdry, which would have been too much to endure for many people -, & probably for me.
Final Verdict:
For music lovers, and more so hip hop and rap lovers, this film is and has to be up there as one of the best onscreen representations of the rap game and sub-culture; Hustle & Flow is massively underrated it was truly worth it for me and stands up as one of the most fulfilling, sincere and gratifying music-based features I've sat through, both fictional & non-fictional-wise.
Overall:
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