I rented ths the other night and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. Seriously, I have heard the comparisons to 8 Mile but I think the only real comparison is that they both use rap music to tell the story. That's it. In 8 Mile, you wanted to see the battles but I don't think you were really invested in the characters. In Hustle, you became invested in the character's lives. By the end, you wanted DJay to succeed and that's hard for a movie to pull off... cheering for a pimp. I don't know if Terrence Howard is nominated for a Best Actor award for this role but he should be. Fucking amazing performance.

 

I would also like to mention Ludacris and the small role he played. All too often, when rap stars get the acting bug, they refuse to allow themselves to show vulnerability. Ice Cube, Snoop, Dre, etc. have all failed miserably at the big screen level because they rarely let themselves be human. It almost seems like they are too busy being tough to actually play thier roles convincingly. Maybe you could make an exception for Snoop's role in Starsky and Hutch or Cube's role in Boys N The Hood but Ludacris outshines them all in his cameo.

I think everyone in the know has rightfully given this movie every bit of praise it deserves. I cringe every time I hear it compared to other movies dealing with hip-hop because honestly, that's not what it's about. And I'm pretty sure it's the first movie in a long while that didn't glamorize the life of a pimp/drug dealer. I'm almost certain Howard was up for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and some other shows and I'll definitely be sore if he doesn't get an Oscar nod.

 

Be back with more later.

I've made my feelings on this known elsewhere, but I can certainly attest to its greatness. To me, it's one of the best character-driven movies I've seen in years. I've noted that I was impressed how sympathetic and multi-layered most of the characters are, even though several of them are leading less than reputable lifestyles.

 

I think it's safe to assume that in the wrong hands, this could have ended up as an uninspired rags-to-riches story. But with Brewer's care, this is easily one of the most engrossing films I've seen in a while. The ending had a lot of people complaining, but it seemed better than the conventional ending that could have been there.

 

I'd recommend the DVD, since it's packed (especially for a Paramount release) with some fine extras and a really well done commentary.

This was a great movie with tremendous acting by most of the cast, even Anthony Anderson and woman who played Terrence Howard's girlfriend were great. I was just pissed because I had seen a bootleg of the movie with messed up audio, so during all the songs the bass was way too loud and all you would hear was static. Between Hustle and Flow and Crash, Terrence Howard had a breakout year and should be rewarded one way or another. Even if it's not with awards, his career will definitely be headed in the right direction come next year.