"The Gentleman" makes a great film

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2006)

He was looking for a break in the mid-1980s when he made his own luck and got on The Cosby Show. He played lowlifes and sidekicks until he made an impression in Dead Presidents and The Best Man. This led to intense performances in Crash and Ray in 2004. In Hustle & Flow, he had a break-out performance as a two-bit pimp who wanted to be a rapper. The energy that Terrance Howard brought to this film was tight. He was back by great supporting performances by Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, and DJ Qualls. Howard just keeps getting better every time I see him. I am looking forward to seeing him again with Henson when I watch Four Brothers, and with Big Boi and André 3000 in Idlewild. Vanity Fair calls him "The Gentlemen," as they mark him among the fresh faces that rise above the current set of reigning stars. This will be Howard's year, and Hustle & Flow marks him as the man to watch.