Excellent directorial effort

Rating: 10/10 (12 July 2005)

"Hustle & Flow" is a very strong directorial from writer/director Craig Brewer, and it is very worthy of the buzz that it has been generating for the last couple of months. I got to see it last night at an AFI screening at Arclight Cinemas in Los Angeles, and the audience really reacted positively to what they saw. The story is similar in some respects to "8 Mile," but it is a far better movie (and "8 Mile" was pretty good too). It features a tremendous performance by Terrence Howard as a low level pimp who suddenly breaks out of his dark surroundings to become a respected rapper. Craig had commented that had he made this movie within the studio system, he probably never would have been able to cast Terrence in the movie, and that would have been tragic. Anthony Anderson is also excellent as his friend/producer, and there is also Taryn Manning who is very strong in a role as a prostitute who wants to do more with her life. It's a movie with a lot of heart and integrity, and will appeal to anyone who has ever aspired to something with all their heart, regardless of the road blocks ahead. Here's hoping that "Hustle & Flow" gets the audience it truly deserves!