Gritty Rag-to-Rich Tale!

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2013)

Hustle & Flow is a good tale although it's slight Hollywood-ized version of a rags-to-rich story. But that doesn't stop this movie from giving effective performances and a gritty hustle and pimp story. This story is one that the small-town people can relate with and it's well-written one at that. Now, this is not my kind of music but I can still appreciate the way people have come to succeed in this music industry especially when things seem the darkest.
Craig Brewer's first feature is about a full-time pimp named Djay. Djay wants to get out of that business and prove to the world he has skills to be a rapper. When his childhood friend, who is a millionaire rapper plans on coming to town, Djay enlists the help of his friends to make sure he can succeed.
In 2005, this film as well as Crash put Terrence Howard on the map. He is brilliant as Djay. We can see his earnest passion to become a rapper and he brings much to this role. This character is what brought Terrence Howard to stardom. The supporting cast is decent as well even though some of the female characters are quite annoying.
Overall, this is a borderline great film that tells the traditional rag-to-rich tale. This is not my kind of music, but I can appreciate all the hard work these people do. I don't know where this film would be without Terrence. I enjoyed this gritty tale for the most part. I rate this film 8/10.