Welcome to the Eminem Show

Rating: Null/10 (19 October 2004)

Despite the fact that he seems to be suffering a perennial identity crisis, Eminem, as we shall simply call him for now, has quickly become the biggest phenomenon in pop music since Michael Jackson. And much as that superstar continues to alter his visage, we are presented with the three faces of our new hero. Three albums, three monikers, with Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers thrown in there alongside the more straightforward Eminem, or Em for short. It is this latter branding that is in most favour at the moment; the title of his latest album on which he tried to shake off the Slim Shady. Annoyingly for him, the best song on that disc was 'Without Me', performed from the point of view of alter ego number two. It doesn't matter how hard he tries to avoid it; people just want to be Eminem, as his assembled posse of 'talent' just goes to show. Step forward 50 Cent, Obie Trice et al, rappers whose best music coincidentally features the input of the man himself.
As if all that were not enough, identity number four is on the way in the shape of Rabbit, the role that Marshall plays in his movie debut 8 Mile, a seemingly autobiographical film set in the rap community of Detroit. His performance is impressive, skilfully avoiding the potential charges of simply playing himself in a nuanced role he was effectively born to play. This is indeed the Eminem Show, as Brittany Murphy may be a fine young actress but she has little to indicate that here and ditto Kim Basinger, who shines in the screen time that she is allowed, unfortunately not enough to see if she has regained L.A. Confidential form. The same can be said about her director, who has taken a critical mauling since producing his undeniable masterpiece. Hanson's dramatic pacing may be lacking in this film, but his awareness of the strength of the verbal material is admirable.
At a time when directors such as Quentin Tarantino talk about CGI sounding the 'death knell' for cinema, 8 Mile discovers a new found raw power in its rap battles, sequences that are both brutal and funny and executed to perfection by the talented cast. It at these moments that the man with the many names displays his exhilarating talent; delivering three songs that could well be the most searing pieces of hip hop ever captured on record. The best of these is 'Lose Yourself', the Oscar winning theme song that added just one more string to the man's bow, blowing bland formulaic fare such as U2's Gangs of New York ballad out of the water. 8 Mile may not be anywhere near the best film you'll see but as a showcase for a performer at the very apex of his career, it is second to none. Eminem has the world in the palm of his hand. What he chooses to do with it next may not involve cinema, but Hollywood has been sufficiently shook up for now.