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| Genre: | Drama |
| Year: | 2002 |
| Rating: | R |
| Cast: | Curtis Hanson, Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy |
Music superstar Eminem proves that rapping is both an art and a weapon in this sharp, powerful drama directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential). Eminem portrays Rabbit, a young white man living in a trailer park in 1990s Detroit who hopes to rap his way out of his grim existence as a factory worker. In this bleak urban landscape where the skies are always gray, rap is more than just a ticket to fame and fortune: Verbal sparring is woven into the very fabric of daily life. Rap permeates 8 Mile, both as a form of combat and as a spontaneous expression of inner struggles, personal conflicts, and social consciousness. Rabbit's best friend (Mekhi Phifer) emcees rap "battles" at a local club, and these hip-hop showdowns have as much in common with boxing as they do with music. As the sole white man in the competition, Rabbit has yet another strike against him. These scenes are completely riveting, and credit goes both to Hanson's kinetic direction and to Eminem's formidable rhyming talents. The latter holds his own as an actor, too, helped perhaps by the similarity between Rabbit's story and his own path to stardom from the Detroit hip-hop scene. It's a low-key performance that treads a fine line between anger and vulnerability as Rabbit clashes with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger) and woos an aspiring model (Brittany Murphy). The basic story of 8 Mile -- an underdog trying to rise above his sorry lot in life -- is nothing new, but the music and authenticity of the milieu give the film an invigorating freshness. You don't have to be a rap fan to love 8 Mile: It's Rocky for a whole new generation. Gregory Baird
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