Hustle and Flow
Starring: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Paula Jai Parker, Elise Neal, Isaac Hayes, Ludacris
Directed by: Craig Brewer

Hustle and Flow Reviewed by Paul Heath

HUSTLE AND FLOW could possibly be my favourite movie of the year so far. The premise of this movie didn't really entice me, or make me seek it out and watch it, as it sounds like something we have seen many times before, but believe me, this movie is not like ANYTHING that you've see up there on screen before..

The film stars up and coming actor Terrence Howard, who plays DJay, a small time pimp in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. Life changes one day when Djay bumps into old friend Key (Anthony Anderson), who he discovers is in the (smalltime) music business. They form a new bond, and DJay discovers his voice, and his passion for music, and finds away to get Key to give him the chance to work towards a dream - making it as a gangsta rapper. Once he fits out his pad with a makeshift recording studio, Key and Djay, along with fellow producer and engineer Shelby (played by ROAD TRIP's DJ Qualls), set to work, and lay down their music, all with the help of the three prostitutes that live in the same abode.

Sound familiar?

Well, we have all seen 8 MILE, and even last year's GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' with 50 Cent (a film that also starred Howard) shared a similar plotline. So what does HUSTLE AND FLOW have that these countless other-rapper-on-the-road-to-sucess movies don't? Well, quite a lot.

I actually thought 8 MILE was a good movie, a surpassed all of my expectations. I haven't seen GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN', so I won't comment too much on that as it wouldn't be fair. To be honest though, HUSTLE AND FLOW has more to do with some of producer John Singleton's early movies than any of the above. Not so much plotwise, but the heart, the soul and the realism of it's subject matter. Like Singleton's debut, BOYZ 'N' THE HOOD, this movie hooks you from frame one and doesn't loosen it's grip to the very last second.

The central, and now Oscar-nominated performance by Howard, carries us through the movie, and his sentimental, sensitive pimp DJay has something about him that everyone in the room (that includes you) can relate to. Yes, he's a pimp turned wannabee gangster-rapper, but he's also a man who living his life trying to achieve the dream, his dream, and doing whatever he can to make things happen for himself. I think every one of us who feel that they want to achieve something in our lives, whatever it may be, can relate to the journey that DJay attempts, and boy are you with him every step of the way.

Besides the truly outstanding performance of Howard, HUSTLE AND FLOW features an exceptional supporting cast. Another notable mention is that of Taraji P. Henson, who plays Nola. She's the driving force behind DJay, not that he realises before the very end, but she helps and supports him throughout his quest. Another wonderful portrayal of a 'tart with a heart' if you pardon the expression, but truly it's never be more fitting. Check out the scene where she gets to lay down a vocal on one of DJay's tracks, and the jubilation and delight on her face when she hears the stunning result. A high-point of the movie.

All in all, HUSTLE AND FLOW is an excellent little debut movie from helmer Craig Brewer. Its biggest assets are its cast's performances, but there's enough plot-wise to keep you there right to the end. It's message sits right at the front of your mind as the end credits role, and the experience live with you days afterwards. One that the hip-hop fanbase will embrace, but there's much more here for the rest of us too.

The extras on the DVD are fairly decent. First up, we get a half hour long look behind the scenes of the movie. We get interviews from producers John Singleton and Stephanie Allain, along with pretty much all of the cast, including Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Juicy J, DJ Qualls, Elise Neal, Taraji P. Henson, Paula Jai Parker and Ludacris. We also get a look at how most of them came to be cast in the movie, and even see some of their screen test auditions. We're shown how they managed to get Howard to rap in the movie (we learn that he's more of a country fan than gangster hip-hop).

Another interesting featurette is "By Any Means Necessary", where the filmmakers tell of their quest to get this movie made. We're told that years of shopping the screenplay 'around town' came to nothing, before producer John Singleton stepped in and financed the whole darn thing himself. An interesting look into the origins of the film, and rare footage of Singleton on the set of the film that he strongly believed in.

"Creatin' Crunk" is a look at the music in the movie, and how the rap songs were acquired (notably through local rapper Al Kapone, who donated a couple of tracks to the movie). There's a wonderful anecdote where Brewer recalls how Kapone wrote a track, recorded it with a female hook, and delivered it to the set within twenty four hours.

There's a third little feature which is basically the homecoming premiere of the movie in Memphis. All of the cast and crew are on hand for this short little piece of footage from the big night.

There are six original TV promotional spots that aired on MTV at the time of the movie's cinematic release. All are well put together and unique to themselves. Fresh to see, but bear in mind MTV are the distribs of the film too.

Lastly, there's a director's commentary from Brewer. The helmer discusses his experiences on the movie, as well as shooting in Memphis and with mentor John Singleton. A fun, entertaining track with a lot of informative insight into the film's production.

As I said earlier on in this review, I found this movie to be one of the best of the year. It's inspiring, sensitive, thought provoking, heavy, comedic and above all entertaining from start to finish. There is more to this than your average rap-star-rise-to-fame-drama, and I recommend the film to any film fan out there. I guarantee that most will walk away fulfilled. One of the best DVD's of the year so far.

Highly recommended.

Grade: A-

Paul Heath