DJay: I'm here trying to squeeze a dollar out of a dime, and I ain't even got a cent man. "Everybody gotta have a dream." Hustle & Flow is one of those movies that I didn't want to see end. The film had a lot going for it, from a natural knowledge of the small time hustlers and dealers to the surprisingly good music; and of course there's Terrence Howard in the role that really gave him a name.  DJay is a smalltime pimp and drug dealer living in Memphis with three of his women and a small child. He's struggling with life as he enters a mid-life crisis because of a memory of his father dying at the age he is now. To try to improve his life, he begins rapping. He meets an old school friend who is now a gospel music producer, and brings him and another producer on to help make DJay's demo tape. This movie isn't overly original in anything it is doing, but the voice is good. The dialogue hits like a hard bass beat the whole film long. Especially when the words are coming out of Howard's mouth. Howard does a phenomenal job with his dialogue and the accent of the character. He basically is this movie and with it resting on his shoulders, it succeeds. The content isn't for everyone as there's a lot of demeaning language toward women and what not, but it can't be slandered for its content. The content is dead on and this fictional story of a hustler turned actor has a basis in real life as many rappers used to be exactly what DJay is. As far as a urban, music, crime drama goes; Hustle & Flow is an entertaining and well-made one to get into. 

[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Shortly after the film's release, the subsequent project by legendary and visionary director Craig Brewer which he also penned and directed was Black Snake Moan, my favourite film of all time. So by nature I was excited and had high expectations before seeing it but they were elevated even higher when I discovered that the film was phenomenally succesful critically. I was probably more frightened about being dissapointed with it than any film i've ever watched but it just completely overwhelmed me and then some. Everything about Hustle and Flow works. Terrence Howard brings Djay to life emotionally with an outstanding and thankfully recognised stand out performance that achieved a deserved Oscar nomination. It is masterfuly directed by Brewer who's tight script and inspired setting creates the film's emotional unrestraint and mind blowing depth. If there are two things i've learnt from Brewer it's that he can sympathise even the most disturbed and unsettled characters and animate societies social outcasts and thats what I love that about him, and the film he's made here. A pimped out soundtrack, perfect performances and expectations met, in my opinion it's one of the most edgy and entertaining films of 2004.