Controversial rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) makes his big
screen debut with 8 MILE, a bracing drama directed by the increasingly
audacious Curtis Hanson. Set in 1995 in the bleak, urban battle zone of
Detroit, the film follows the struggles of a young man who is desperate
to make a better life for himself. Jimmy Smith, Jr., better known as
Rabbit, is destined for a life of squalor. Living in a cramped trailer
with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger), Rabbit works in a factory to make
ends meet. His only outlet is hip-hop. Possessing a talent for freestyle
rapping, Rabbit still hasn't managed to unleash his true potential. But
his best friend, Future (Mekhi Phifer), is determined to make that
happen. Future forces Rabbit to enter a freestyle battle that he blew
the week before, giving him another chance at redemption. Hanson's
stellar portrait of lower-class urban disillusionment, shot with
uncompromisingly gritty realism by Rodrigo Prieto, proves that the issue
is no longer about race, it's about money. Eminem delivers a bold
performance as the troubled youngster who is still trying to find his
place in a harsh, cruel world.