Review of Hustle & Flow (2005) by Daniel A — 15 Jan 2012

So it contains the same old hip-hop cliches of pimps/guns/gangsters/hoes right next to those rags-to-riches cliches of poverty/violence/hidden-opportunity but Hustle & Flow remains a capable drama with a great performance from Terrence Howard at its core.

Playing a drug-dealing pimp who wants to be a rap star in order to gain a better life, Howard steers the film with his fiery yet nuanced turn as DJay, creating a character who is both loathsome and likeable all at once.

The wider cast are also imperative to the film's success, particularly Taraji P. Henson and Taryn Manning who both excel as DJay's right-hand women. The story is nothing particularly new, but writer-director Craig Brewer handles it with enough due care and attention to ensure the audiences stays with it to the very end.

The hip-hop soundtrack, featuring original work from the cast, is the icing on what is already a very respectable effort.