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Mile |
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| Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer,
Brittany Murphy Directed by:
Curtis Hanson |
Theatrical Release: 2002
DVD Release: 2003
Released by: Universal StudiosDolby Digital 5.1,
Dolby Digital Surround, DTS 5.1
Widescreen (anamorphic) |
I first saw 8 Mile in the theater and
walked away disappointed. Word on the street was that 8 Mile was Oscar caliber --
or, at very least, one of the best movies of the year. To add fuel to the fire, there was
buzz that controversial rapper-turned-actor Eminem might even get the nod for Best Actor
for his role as Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. However, hype outweighed reality. 8
Mile was not one of the best films of 2002, and Eminem, although admirable in his
first screen outing, certainly wasn’t going to be giving any acceptance speeches for
his acting prowess. To his credit, though, Eminem did nab an Oscar for Best Achievement in
Best Song Written for Motion Pictures, and 8 Mile showed him to be a better actor
than anyone would have thought -- even if he was playing himself.
| Eminem, the West Coast Connection,
and Gangsta Rap’s Roots To understand
Detroit rapper Eminem’s roots one has to look back at 1988 and the release of the
groundbreaking N.W.A. album Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A., made up of Ice Cube, MC
Ren, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, and Dr. Dre, dropped an atomic bomb on the music industry that has
reverberations to this day. The anthemic "Fuck tha Police" shook South Central
L.A., and the world.
Oddly enough, N.W.A. wasn’t the hardest of the West
Coast sounds. That title resided in Houston, Texas, where the Geto Boys -- led by
Scarface, along with Bushwick Bill, Big Mike, and Willie D -- wore the gangsta-rap crown.
Not only did "Face" and the rest of the boys from South Park rap about unbridled
violence, but they described in almost "how to" terms the workings of the
Southern drug trade. Sacrface’s solo albums, particularly 1991’s Mr. Scarface
Is Back, are considered the most shocking of the genre.
If you are offended by Eminem’s lyrics, don’t
even bother with N.W.A. and Scarface; you’ll likely pass out from what they have to
say. There were others that shocked and offended, too. The members of Luther
Campbell’s Too Live Crew were famous for vulgarity (check 1989’s As Nasty As
They Wanna Be), but had nothing to say otherwise. Ice-T came along with 1991’s O.G.
Original Gangster, more commercial and less genuine than Straight Outta Compton.
Ice-T did understand, to a point, what Eminem knows better than any: how lucrative
crossover appeal can be. Ice-T even formed his own metal band (Body Count) to appeal to
white youth. Public Enemy, which predated N.W.A., actually made some insightful political
commentary on 1988’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,
even though some of the lyrics were violence-tinged.
As time moved on, N.W.A. broke up and Dr. Dre grew to be
the force in West Coast rap with his own label, Death Row Records. Dre’s talent as a
producer was clearly evident. He introduced Snoop Doggy Dogg to the world after he stirred
up the gangsta-rap scene once again with his 1991 solo album The Chronic. Perhaps
Dre’s biggest find, though, was to be years later: a young, white, Detroit rapper
named Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem. Dr. Dre saw the mix of anger and talent, and
knew that when those things were combined with the right producer you had a formula for
success. It’s rumored that they recorded their first single together a scant hour
after their initial meeting. No one could have predicted how massive Eminem would become
under Dr. Dre’s tutelage; he racked up another Grammy and around 10 million album
sales in 2002.
Eminem is not a West Coast rapper, nor is his music gangsta
rap, but he has clearly been influenced by that genre. What he does have in common with
those that came from the West is anger toward the establishment, resentment from his
street upbringing (which is well documented in his music), and a penchant to lash out at
any who stand in his way. He also has gangsta rap’s preeminent producer. When you
look at Eminem’s success, just remember Dr. Dre and the late ‘80s, where it all
started.
...Jeff Fritz
jeff@hometheatersound.com |
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In the film, Jimmy
"B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr. is a white boy living in a largely black community on the
wrong side of 8 Mile Road -- a street that divides the rich from the poor. His mother,
played by Kim Basinger (whose acting in this film hovers between average to laughably
bad), is stereotypical trailer-park trash. Jimmy doesn’t have much going for him, and
his girlfriend unflinchingly lets him know that most consider him a loser.
Jimmy sees rapping as his only chance to escape. He’s
a quick thinker with a good voice. He uses these skills during rap "battles" at
a local club where contestants use their mouths the way boxers use their fists, hurling
insults back and forth to a musical beat. The goal seems to be to ridicule the opponent
into oblivion while getting the audience on your side. When we first meet Jimmy he’s
nervous, throwing up in a bathroom just before he’s about to do battle in front of a
packed house. When he gets onstage he chokes, staring nervously at the crowd until they
turn on him and he runs away in shame. From that opening it’s not hard to guess what
the ending of 8 Mile will be.
8 Mile is nothing more than a Rocky-type plot
that substitutes rap for boxing and takes place in Detroit instead of Philadelphia. Jimmy
is a fish out of water in the rap community, in much the same way Rocky Balboa was to the
world of professional boxing. The only problem is: As much as 8 Mile wants to be an
uplifting tale of rags to riches, Jimmy’s only goal is to go from rags to cleaner
rags, and 8 Mile never gains that much momentum. 8 Mile isn’t all that
positive, either. When Rocky Balboa takes on Apollo Creed, it’s an average guy going
after the world’s best and it is inspiring. But somehow I don’t think that
rhyming insults between the neighborhood brain trust in 8 Mile is worthy of the
same praise -- and certainly won’t get many audience members on their feet. The most
you can say is that 8 Mile is moderately entertaining, but completely predictable.
The soundtrack is good by movie standards, but when it
comes to the music portions, it falls short of what you’ll hear on CD. To its credit,
the sound is warm and full, and I never found it harsh or grating. The video quality is
good, too. The cinematographer was obviously trying to convey an edgy, grungy, dark look
to match the tone of the characters and their lives. He succeeds so well that you’d
think the sun never shone in Detroit. Despite the rather drab appearance, the video
transfer is actually quite rich and vibrant, with plenty of detail.
The extras are plentiful, but don’t have that much
depth. I watched "The Making of 8 Mile" and found it to contain too much
typical backslapping praise with no real insight into the filmmaking process. The
"Exclusive Rap Battles" portion is interesting, if only to see rapping done
realistically, and not in the over-the-top, melodramatic way it’s shown in the film.
There are a few other things included such as "The
Music of 8 Mile," "Production Notes," "Cast and
Filmmakers," and, of course, the theatrical trailer. The thing that caught my eye,
though, was the ironic inclusion of an uncensored version of "Superman," a song
from Eminem’s 2002 album The Eminem Show. I say ironic because it’s
obvious that the 8 Mile filmmakers went to great lengths to cleanup Eminem’s
bad-boy image, making him appear much more caring and considerate, particularly towards
women. This video, however, mixes soft-core porn visuals with hardcore verbiage and
contains much of the misogynistic behavior for which he’s known. Is this an
acceptable thing to be marketing toward teens and preteens? Of course, if questioned, the
artists and the companies behind these releases will pull out the age-old defense of
"artistic freedom," but asking them is like asking a politician, "Are you
really telling the truth?" You’re better off trusting tobacco lobbyists.
Although 8 Mile wasn’t one of the best films of
2002, it was one of the better ones (although with competitors like The Rules of
Attraction, that isn’t saying much). The reason most will see it, mind you, is
for Eminem. As I mentioned, he’s more than respectable in this role, and he certainly
didn’t fall flat and embarrass himself like Britney Spears and Mariah Carey did in
their big-screen debuts. What I’m waiting for, though, is to see how Eminem does in a
future role where he’s not playing himself. |
