8 MILE (2002)

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"An electrifying underdog tale."

It's impossible to talk about a film based on the real, underground Detroit Hip-Hop scene of the mid 90s without talking about the audience there to see it. This is a tale of a gritty Urban lifestyle wrought with poverty and racial tension. Yet, as I sat in the theater looking around before the film started, I noticed something odd... 90% of the audience were middle class, white highschool kids. I had to remind myself of one thing; this wasn't a movie, this was an Eminemmovie.

As just a film, it's pretty damn good. It's the story of Rabbit (Eminem), a poor white guy living on Detroit's now-famous 8 Mile, a stretch of road that separates poor whites on one side, and poor blacks on the other. Rabbit is a great rapper who hasn't found his confidence yet. I'm not going to go into the story too much because watching it unfold on the screen is more fun. But remember this, although the story APPEARS to mirror Eminem's life, it doesn't. If you're a fan, and you know his background, leave it at the door.

The first 95% of the film follows the usual underdog storyline of films like Rocky. It's only at the end, once the credits start to roll, that you realize this was something more.. something better.

8 Mile was directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential), and Hanson once again prooves his abilities as a storyteller. He almost makes the directing a character in itself with his ability to saturate a story in it's surroundings, making it feel so real. After the 3 film string of L.A. Confidential, Wonderboys and now 8 Mile, Hanson has solidified himself as one of the premier directors working today.

And now I have to talk about the man himself, Eminem. Love him or hate him, I'll tell you this; you can't take your eyes off of him. He possess that one intangible thing. No amount of talent can make up for it if you don't have it, and there is no way to learn it. It's the ability to put yourself out there and DOMINATE the camera. Em has that. You're drawn to him. It makes those who love him, love him even more. And for those who hate him, well they continue to hate him, even though they watch EVERYTHING he does. It's the star making quality and yep, he's got it. As for his actual performance, well, it's hard to really judge it. The fact of the matter is, the role wasn't a stretch for him. That being said, he's AMAZING in it. All of the intensity he brings to his music is present in his acting, but Hanson found a way to control it. He found a way to have Em keep it bottled up, below the surface, so you watch him smouldering throughout the film and you're wondering, "When is he gonna blow?". And he makes it all look so natural.

This all isn't to say the film doesn't have its flaws. Kim Basinger was useless. She never seemed able to really connect with her character. In the beginning she wanted her to have a thick (if horrible) Southern accent. By the end of the film, the accent is all but gone. And she never gets deep enough into her trailer-trash character. It just doesn't work, The same can be said for Brittany Murphy, who seems to be pidgeon-holing herslef as a little slut character. Her character has little motivation and really doesn't do much.

The rest of the supporting cast, on the other hand, it quite good. Mekhi Phifer has an energy that I have never seen him display before as he eats up the role of Future, a friend of Rabbit's who hosts underground "battles", where 2 rappers each get 45 seconds to outshine one another. And the rest of Rabbit's crew works well, too. Each of them seems natural together, freely working the repour of any group of friends; the standout of which is Evan Jones as the dim-witted Cheddar Bob.

As a whole, I was both thoroughly entertained and impressed with 8 Mile. It had the power to suck you in and forget that this is the Eminem movie. It felt real. It felt rough around the edges. The story was good, if well-worn underdog territory. But what makes the film are the directing of Hanson, and the screen presence of Em. It's not a film for everyone, but that's ok. Hi-hop's not for everyone. Eminem's not for everyone. And i think he preferes it that way.