Whoop that trick (GET EM)

Rating: 7/10 (22 January 2006)

This movie is a nice surprise. The acting is great and the elements played out are deep and mesmerizing. The screenplay is perfect for the setting of Memphis, and the overall southern hip hop feel really works. A tough street-wise pimp having a middle aged breakdown is fed up with ghetto livin and the struggle to get by with his few prostitutes, and relatively small drug game. He resuscitates his rap game with an old high-school friend with limited studio equipment. While the protagonist is rough at times, and has few morals when it comes to women, he is surprisingly likable. The complexity of "Djay" is that he is so simple. Obviously largely uneducated and in touch with how the streets work, he still formulates his musical ability with a hustler's ambition. He knows what he wants and he won't stop until it is obtained. Everyone has to have a dream, whether you have to lie for it or put everything on the line. Luda plays a Memphis boy that made it out of the ghetto with his rhymes, but then becomes consumed in his own image and the fortune put upon him. It makes him a despicable person when it comes down to it, and he really pulled the roll off. I had my doubts about Luda as an actor, but he does a splendid job with it. Overall a good effort by all parties. My pet peeve with this movie is the music is just average. Being involved with rap for years now, you have to understand movies like 8 mile really focus on the lyrics and music makin it a whole different type of movie. While this movie was better acted than 8 Mile with a grittier feel, the musical sequences were completely dominated by 8 Mile. Djay is supposed to come off as a good artist attempting to overcome insurmountable odds, yet his music is just average. On the other hand, there is so much more going on in this film that the music, it really plays a secondary role. Don't get me wrong it still has that Memphis feel to it, it just doesn't compare to 8 Mile's music. That said, it also points to the fact talent isn't always considered more than the actions you do and who you know. If you do a violent act, or have one happen to you that will get you noticed, the rap game will be faster to pick you up regardless. Overall this is a well-done flick and it gets my praises. 7/10