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| A flowing lyrical tale |
HUSTLE AND FLOW Directed by Craig Brewer
Certificate 15
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Taraji P Henson, Paula Jai Parker, Terrence Howard and Taryn
Manning in Hustle and Flow
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WHILE being likened to a sort of rap Flashdance or 8 Mile or
any of the other ‘I’m-gonna-make-it’ films, Hustle
and Flow, a lyrical tale of a low life pimp who dreams of making
it in the music industry is much more than its description.
Terrance Howard finally gets a leading role in which he can shine
as Djay, a caring man who runs a young white hooker from his car
to feed the other women and children he keeps in his ramshackle
and downright depressing flat.
Although this is a recognisable story and without giving away the
ending, Hustle and Flow is a small miracle of filmmaking. Its feel
is intense and real, with superb lighting, editing and production
design. Moreover, we genuinely care about the characters even if
they’re low-lifes.
In what is a terrific bit of directing by the film’s writer
Craig Brewer, we see a true example of Wilde’s quote about
the gutter and the stars – and Terrance Howard is ideal for
the role of Djay, caring, ambitious but maybe not smart or talented
enough to make it. While we’re watching this superior drama
unfold, we just can’t tell. And that is the beauty of it.
We groan when Djay gets his friend – married now with a hardcore
wife and a Christian background that includes cooked meals at home
on schedule – involved with the seedy side of recording rap
tracks on a homemade studio. But what would you do if you had nothing
to work with but your friends, some prostitutes and a few egg cartons
as sound proofing?
As a disturbing but strangely elegiac look at the impoverished underbelly
of Memphis, Tennessee, Hustle and Flow couldn’t be better.
Masterly mystery in a garden of delight
THE CONSTANT GARDNER Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Certificate 15
CITY Of God director Fernando Meirelles takes on the John Le
Carre thriller with great aplomb, making a film which is not only
brilliant from an entertainment standpoint but also from that of
a superior production.
The textures, sounds and sights from The Constant Gardener are almost
as full of wonder and mystery as the story itself – which is
that of a man who comes to truly know his wife only after her untimely
death.
Starting out as a lively love story, Ralph Fiennes (pictured) stars
as a diplomat who marries the sparky Tessa (Rachel Weisz) without
really understanding who she is and what she is about.
As the story digs in, Tessa becomes more and more involved in the
medical world of Kenya, putting her disruptive energies to good
use at swanky parties and meetings. And it is to Weisz’s credit
that she lends Tessa a lot of welly when it comes to dishing the
truth to stuffed shirts in the untouchable political and corporate
world. Prepare yourself for some genuinely thrilling rants during
cocktail time.
Soon, the story takes a dark turn and becomes perhaps one of the
most riveting yet sophisticated thrillers on the screen this year.
We already know, early on, that Tessa has died but how she died
and why becomes the film’s narrative thrust.
Constant Gardener is a beautiful film made with an innovative style
and supported throughout by a seamless cast. Particularly good is
Danny Huston, who brings a believable element of doubt and sleaze
along with an immaculate accent.
Also showing
In Her Shoes
This mish-mashed chick-flick with a message sees director Curtis
Hanson handling the likes of Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette as two
sisters who couldn’t be more different. Diaz is naughty; Collette
is responsible but they both converge in Florida upon the discovery
of their grandmother Shirley Maclaine. A fantastic cast and a loving
message make this worth seeing.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
One of the best films out this week, Robert Downey Jr stars as the
small time theft making it big in this comedy cop thriller. Every
writer who sees this film will go crazy over its smart, sassy, razor-sharp
script. This is a fast-paced film of which few are made and many
are needed. See it or stay stupid.
Niagara Motel
Eight characters in crisis in a rundown Canadian hotel are the starting
point for this black comedy condensed from six plays and directed
by Gary Yates who makes the most of a tiny budget. Anna Friel acquits
herself well as a junkie attempting to regain custody of her daughter.
Pick of the indies
Double Indemnity
“We’re both rotten,” she says. He retorts, “Only
you’re a little more rotten.” You have to love a film
with dialogue like this and of course you can see this black and
white Hollywood classic on television but don’t.
This brilliant Billy Wilder film (co-written by Raymond Chandler)
stars Fred MacMurray (who went on to play a wholesome TV dad in
My Three Sons, a fact that astonished many older filmgoers while
amazing the young generation) and Barbara Stanwyck, who made her
name playing strong women who were perhaps a little too strong for
their own good.
This film is one of the best of its genre and time.
A tangled, narrated interplay between lust and greed, deceit and
true feelings, this take on the pulp novel of Jame M Cain is stylish,
slick and diabolical in its design, leaving a sense of danger and
intrigue in its wake.
Stanwyck plays the irresistible but untrustworthy woman who talks
salesman MacMurray into murder with one of the sexiest, steamiest
talking scenes ever filmed. They say it all and it all sounds incredibly
erotic without them ever saying much at all. Told as a recorded
narrative by our injured hero, we know that time is running out.
Few films use flashbacks as well as Double Indemnity nor are many
as crispy shot or smarty edited ˆ in short, this is one of the tightest,
most exhilarating rides you‚ll get this week.
• NFT, call 020 7928 3232. |
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