Hustle and Flow

Films/DVD Asylum

Movies from comedy to drama to your favorite Hollyweird Star.

Terrence Howard plays a pimp and drug dealer in this 2005 drama. You may remember Howard from his role in "Crash" as the wealthy music mogul, and in "Ray" as one of Ray Charles' early musicians. Where else might you have seen him? As a gangster in "Dead Presidents", as a criminal defendant in "Hart's War", as a biker dude in "Biker Boyz", and as a cop in "Four Brothers."
He is a successful criminal, but he aspires to be more. He runs into a high school friend, played by Anthony Anderson, while in a convenience store. They get to talking, and turns out that Anderson is a low level music producer. He invites Howard to a church to hear one of his singers singing spirituals "opera" style. Howard is moved, and decides that music is his way out.
I admire the film because it depicts inner city life, but shows the characters with hope, not despair. Howard running a whore house, while at the same time spending all his money to convert a room into a recording studio where he, Anderson, and the sampler, played by D.J. Qualls, huddle to hopefully make their futures.
The screenplay also does a good job of showing more to the lives of these three men trying to make their futures. It also shows Anderson's wife coping with the fact that her husband is spending his days in a whore house, and the subject matter of the music not being consistent with his religious ideals. There is a funny scene when Howard shows up at Anderson's house early in the film with two prostitutes while Anderson and his wife are eating dinner, and Anderson and Howard talking music while one prostitute is insulting the other prostitutes hair, while Anderson's wife is trying to make the insulted prostitute feel better. Her looks are priceless, with looks of "are these really prostitutes" with "what are they doing in my house."
One of Howard's prostitutes sings on the record, and the look of importance that she demostrates, together with her speech about, for one short moment, actually doing something productive, is touching. Another prostitute is made to sleep with a pawn shop owner because Howard does not have the funds to procure a needed microphone. For the first time, she feels like a prostitute, and delivers a powerful line to Howard, not at all what we expect from a hooker.
Howard eventually figures that he needs a way into the industry to get the cassette released. He is friends with a night club owner played by Isaac Hayes. Hayes gave another rapper played by Ludacris a break, and so Ludacris comes back to the bar every fourth of July to get back to his "roots." Howard figures out that he can sell him to take his tape.
There is a very well written scene in which Howard first unwittlingly insults Ludacris, and then, using his street smarts, turns the tables and has Ludacris eating from his hands.
The other quality of the film I admired was very little violence, and little graphic depictions of sex. How many inner city films have we seen where the violence, sex, and drugs are the subjects of the film, with the actors faceless humans? There is course language, but little in the way of violence or sex. The film is not about "music", and contains little music. It is about people having dreams to be better, and striving to make more of their lives than appears on the surface.
This is Howard's film, and I mention those other films to illustrate his range. He is able to melt into a role, and creating a character. I think is becoming one of film's best character actors. Here, the film is his. There are those here who clamour for "real people" in films, films with no special effects, about real problems, and real solutions. Here is your film. Unless the subjects fall outside your socio-economic swimming pool, here is one for you. Recommended.

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Topic - Hustle and Flow - jamesgarvin 14:19:58 03/26/07 (2)

I expected a lot, having read several positive reviews such as yours - tinear 15:03:20 03/26/07 (1)

Re: I expected a lot, having read several positive reviews such as yours - jamesgarvin 15:37:20 03/26/07 (0)

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