Watch this story FLOW

Rating: 9/10 (12 August 2005)

Remember those classic hip-hop flicks back in the day like BOYZ N THE HOOD and MENACE II SOCIETY and how instrumental they were in showing the struggles of growing up in rural areas? Even though those classics and more recent hit's like 8 MILE are not for everyone, they offer up a good story to follow and enjoy. And that's really all you can ask for when watching a drama and reason why the new "indie" HUSTLE & FLOW needs to be on every movie fan's radar. Because it's not just about the compelling story, as it's about life and how your dreams can be reached if you try hard enough. That underlying story is something we don't often see in movies over the summer and why this film should be praised now and during Oscar time.
When it comes to rap music, there are a lot of things that need to take place, but if you have no rhythm, you have no song. In this story, all that rhythm flows through D Jay (Terrance Howard), as he throws out ideas upon ideas of lyrics for rap songs. But, just having talent isn't enough these days, especially for a guy who lives in the tough streets of Memphis. And for years, those ideas would be just that for D Jay, as he made his name as a local Pimp. But, when he ran into an old high school buddy Key (Anthony Anderson), a sound engineer that was also wanting to get back to his roots, a beautiful thing happened. Not only did the two agree to collaborate, but D Jay started to write all his "ideas" on a pad of paper and the next thing you know the two, along with Shelby (D.J. Qualls), a local musician with a beat machine, are making music. But, it wasn't just D Jay, Key and Shelby; they also enlisted the help of two of D Jay's women, Nola (Taryn Manning) and Shug (Taraji Henson), both of which that were more than willing to do "something" else, something that had some meaning to it. Having everything he needed, all that was left for D Jay was to hustle his way into the rap business, which you might expect was no walk in the park. But, for D Jay, it's not about how hard or easy it is to break into the rap scene as it was more about fulfilling that dream that no one said he could.
I have to admit, when I first read or saw anything about HUSTLE & FLOW, I had no idea who Terrance Howard was. Sure, I had seen him in a couple what I would call "B" movies, but never really knew what he was capable of on the movie screen. Well, now, not only do I know who Howard is, I know what he is capable of, plus some. It's been awhile since I have been blown away by a performance, but Howard did it and he did it without me expecting it. And when that happens, for some reason, it's just so much sweeter. His nonchalant nature makes everything he does on screen real, which allows the audience to believe and be a part of the emotion his character is going through, a characteristic worthy of Oscar praise. And that nature can't help but rub off on the rest of the cast, which included Taraji Henson, D.J. Qualls and Taryn Manning (8 MILE), who gave more than an admirable performance as Nola. But, then there was Anthony Anderson, who most people know as that "other" funny guy in recent comedies. Anderson (CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE, ROMEO MUST DIE), who makes his days now working on FX's THE SHIELD continues to show his dramatic talent, which is almost a blessing in disguise, considering just how stupid some of the comedies (KANGAROO JACK, SCARY MOVIE 3) he's been in were.
It's been awhile since director John Singleton has graced us with this type of film, and although he was just the producer, I must say it was worth the wait. HUSTLE & FLOW has everything in it that made previous Singleton films BOYZ N THE HOOD and HIGHER LEARNING so popular and loved, which is why first-time writer/director Craig Brewer deserves all the credit in this one. I don't know, when I think about stories like this, I think John Singleton has to be behind the camera, so for Brewer to be the director speaks volumes of how great of job he did. Like Spike Lee and John Singleton have done for years, Brewer was able to bring all that raw emotion into the story that you can't help but be a part of. And seeing this new Brewer/Singleton "joint" reminds me how much I miss movies like this and how I wish we had more of them throughout the year. It's films like HUSTLE & FLOW that can't help but make you a fan over and over again.
There's no doubt that most people won't see or even here about HUSTLE & FLOW until it's too late, unless of course, it experiences some of that NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE "word of mouth" mojo. But, either way, this film is every aspect of quality and should be seen by anyone with a pulse. If it wasn't the tremendous performance by Terrance Howard, it was the raw shots of the streets of Memphis behind the story taking place all combining to make one of this year's best. After watching this film, you can't help but walk away from the theater singing "Whoop That Trick!" A