In an Oscar-nominated performance, Terrence Howard (Crash) plays DJay, a pimp and drug dealer who lives in a poor section of Memphis with his small staple of three girls: Shug (Taraji P. Henson) is heavily pregnant; Lexus (Paula Jai Parker) has a small child and Nola (Taryn Manning) is a skinny white girl who looks about twelve-years-old.
The film opens with a speech about human nature from DJay, and it is clear from the get-go that he is perhaps more articulate than his surroundings may suggest. Examining his own mortality as best he can, it seems DJay is going through the pimp/drug dealer version of a mid-life crisis.
A chance encounter with a high school acquaintance Key (Anthony Anderson) leads to DJay experiencing an epiphany while watching a gospel performance. Subsequent to this DJay manages to convince Key (a sound engineer and aspiring producer) to help him fulfil a long-held ambition - put together a hip hop demo.
The plan is to present the demo to local success Skinny Black (played by real rapper Ludacris), who has a forthcoming home town show, and to whom DJay will most likely be expected to provide weed.
Hustle & Flow is a enjoyable, resonant rumination on self-actualisation with an extremely powerful performance at its core. Howard effectively paints DJay as a multi-faceted character with many skills and just as many flaws.
It seems kinda silly to talk about a pimp drug dealer having a mid-life crisis, but Howard has you on side all the way. His frustration at being unable to express himself, and the release he clearly feels when he does, is potent, and thrilling to watch.
DJay is a hustler in every sense of the word, and watching him talk his way in and out of various situations makes for amusing and invigorating viewing. Never before has the art of the hustle been played so effectively and believably on screen.
For all DJay's faults, there's never any question about our empathy for him, testament to Howard's performance. Especially considering that, on paper, DJay is a reprehensible character.
As much as Howard's performance stands out, he is surrounded by many appealing supporting players - Anderson is typically engaging; Manning makes Nola funny and tragic and Henson infuses Shug with raw, searing humanity.
As a sound mixer helping with the demo, DJ Qualls (Road Trip) gets to play something other than the comic relief for a change, and does it well. Issac Hayes puts in a nice extended cameo, and Elise Neal is also excellent as Key's wife.
The film concerns itself greatly with the redemptive power, and the pure joy, of the creative process, but doesn't skim over the necessary work with a movie typical montage. We get to see the music being literally being created, and it's all the more satisfying being there every step of the way.
Hustle & Flow has received a healthy amount of advance hype, and it very much lives up to the anticipation, but I wasn't expecting the film to be as funny as it was. There's some pretty grim stuff on display, but the film never loses site of its sense of humour, which helps often helps to lighten the mood.
The film also succeeds in creating a richly realised setting - this Memphis is hot sweat and real - it's not a Memphis we've much seen on screen before.
It very much works as a singular character study, but Hustle & Flow ultimately succeeds primarily as an ensemble piece about various people coming together for something that enriches them all. Even as a viewer, I felt part of that equation.
Highly recommended.
Dominic Corry
Hustle & Flow opens in cinemas on March 2nd.
