Terrence Howard Is A Brilliant Actor, But....

Rating: 6/10 (30 July 2005)

Terrence Howard, as "DJAY," is, as usual, brilliant in HUSTLE & FLOW. There are too many stereotypical characters and events in this movie for it to have the real depth I expected. It's as if someone told the screenwriter, "this is how black people MUST be portrayed. They must live down to THESE stereotypes." There are several hiccups in the flow of this story, certain plot points that should have been either explained or omitted. As seems to be expected, DJAY resorts to violence, and is arrested, as so many unenlightened people expect of black males. There is no explanation given for any of the relationships DJAY has with the women he exploits, though they seem to have strong bonds with him and each other. Ultimately, this is a movie that had potential, but seems to have needed some script revisions. It is a vehicle that is far beneath Terrence Howard's brilliance. I won't give up on Howard, though; I still intend to see every movie he is in. I just hope he makes better script choices than HUSTLE & FLOW.