InsidePulse DVD Review – Get Rich or Die Tryin'

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Directed by:
Jim Sheridan

Starring:
Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson ………. Marcus
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ………. Majestic
Joy Bryant ………. Charlene
Omar Benson Miller ………. Keryl
Tory Kittles ………. Justice
Terrence Howard ………. Bama
Ashley Walters ………. Antwan
Marc John Jefferies ………. Young Marcus
Viola Davis ………. Grandma
Sullivan Walker ………. Grandpa

Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Jim Sheridan. Written by Terence Winter. Running time: 116 minutes. Rated R (for strong violence, pervasive language, drug content, sexuality and nudity). Available on DVD: March 28, 2006.

The Movie


What is it with rappers wanting to use their stardom in their profession to catapult themselves in to movies? Honestly, it’s like they work their whole life to get famous doing one thing just so they can turn around and do something they’re not qualified for but are only in the position to be there because of the talent they show elsewhere. Tupac was in my opinion the only rapper turned actor to ever show what it took to make the transition, he had the talent and charisma, he could walk in to a scene and his presence was felt not for his being famous and viewers going “oh my god, it’s Tupac!” but because he was dedicated to making himself not look foolish and took the job serious.

Why can’t 50 Cent learn something from him?

In the movie loosely based on Jackson’s real life struggle from the streets to the top of the billboards chart (and by loosely I mean just about everything is fake except him selling drugs and getting shot nine times) we see him playing Marcus. Raised by his mom never knowing his father young Marcus was quite content with his way of living, even if it wasn’t a normal one. When he was in his early teens he and his mother fell on to hard times and had to move in with his grand parents. His mother was a drug dealer who sold part time to make sure her son had a happy life and so they could get by, until one day the riskiness or the job caught up to her and she was murdered.

When she passed he was taken in by his grandparents, along with the other seven people living in the house it was a crowded place. He slept in the basement after not getting along with his relatives. One day he started selling drugs to make some extra cash, not for anything important like to see a doctor or pay for food, nope, just so he can wear new sneakers. His entire downfall in life is because of Nike and their over priced foot apparel?

We fast forward to his present day life of being a street hustler climbing up the ranks and gaining plenty of street cred. One thing hasn’t changed however, his crusade to find the man who killed his mother and get his revenge, the only lead he has is that who ever did it he’s adamant that the killer looks like Rick James. He rolls with a man named Majestic who was a close friend to his mother before she was killed and has since then seemingly looked up to the guy as a father figure. What happens next is their discovery of crack and how they can get rich off of it. The movie then follows Marcus starting to recognize the dangers of the business and tries to get out before the same thing happens to him that happened to his mom. His inspiration is to become a rapper and what follows is his journey to becoming famous.

Know what the problem with this movie is? Simple, it basically is telling you that if you sell drugs not to worry because your life will be a 24 hour party and a bunch of hot chicks will sleep with you. And after all of that you’ll become a famous rapper and even more parties and women will be coming your way. What type of message is that to kids? After last years Hustle & Flow this just pails in comparison when it comes to a man stuck in a rut digging his way out and chasing after his dream.

The film seems like it’s trying to be too much at once, at times it seems like a gangster movie, at others a drug movie, then it will turn in to an aspiring rapper movie, which when all added up make it one really incoherent movie. With no sign of direction or rhythm your never able to get settled in on what’s happening.

There isn’t a whole lot of originality in the picture either, as it seems to borrow from every single mob movie ever made, including every one of the cliche characters that are used in them. Even the plot is a paint by numbers affair where you know just about every answer before the questions are even asked, the plot is that paper thin. I was surprised at the overall story being mildly entertaining but that is due in large parts to it being formulaic in a genre that is always entertaining to watch no matter what, which I guess says more for how strong gangster films still are to this day rather than how good Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is on it’s own merit.

Of coarse there isn’t a larger problem in the movie than Jackson himself, as he only has two expressions, blank stare and goofy smile both of which come with squinty eyes that show no emotions and the same mumbling voice. There’s no in between, he either seems like he’s staring in to space or is busy showing off his pearly whites for the camera. His acting is equal or lesser than that of a special guest host on SNL. He has no presence on the screen. And it’s abundantly clear that his co-stars are working overtime to make the movie appear credible and for Jackson to not look foolish.

For a movie that is suppose to be set in New York it sure doesn’t take advantage of the natural appeal of the city with it’s grittiness. Instead you’re more likely to see the camera locked in on a close up or in a cramped indoor location never taking advantage of things that could help open up the story visually. Which is really odd considering how masterful Sheridan can be when he’s sitting behind the camera.

50 is just as bad as one could imagined he would be and since he’s in just about every scene it really hurts the movie. There’s a good movie in here some where, it’s just lost underneath all of the horrible story telling, poor pacing and atrocious acting by the leading man. Jim Sheridan needs to start making more films like My Left Foot and less movies like this one.

The DVD


The DVD comes is a standard black plastic amaray keepcase with no chapter listing or any other type of insert included inside the holder. The disc includes animated anamorphic widescreen menus (the main menu plays the song “I’ll Whip Ya Head Boy” that’s featured in the movie on loop) with smooth navigation. The film is broken up in to 18 chapters with no noticeable layer change.

Video:
(Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
Something seems off while watching the DVD, there seems to be a slightly higher contrast or over exposure of light than seen on other films which leaves the picture less sharp than desired and causes some haloes. The film sticks with earth tones (with the exception of Marcus’ white Mercedes SL500) but the picture shows some rich detail to the foreground and background. For a recent high profile studio picture it’s what you would expect, very clean, few digital problems but nothing to make it stand out.

Audio:
(English & French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Surround)
With a movie desperately trying to sell a soundtrack like this one, you know you’ll be feeling the audio setup here. Rarely are the rear speakers not in use, either they’re capturing the roar of a fire, the barking of a neighbors dog or a distant radio, there’s never a time they aren’t used to some effect. The same can be said for the bass track, as it’s used as often as possible. On a whole, the audio is louder than expected but is a nice mix that gives a pleasing theater experience in the home.

Extras:

The sole special feature you’ll find on the DVD is A Portrait of an Artist: The Making of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ which runs a little under a half hour, it’s shocking seeing just how little they can say with so much time. It’s as if they had a 90 minute making-of documentary and then just edited it down to a quick and to the point 28 minute one that just feels rushed. Yes there is some chronological order to it all but there are noticeable gaps missing with no flow from start to finish. It feels like a much more personal piece than most generic making-of featurettes that are added to DVDs these days and they seem to have tried to make something with what they had. Basically what you’ll see here is primarily director Jim Sheridan and 50 Cent behind the scenes showing how close they were during the shooting. They go in to some detail about how much of the story is based on real events but what they touch upon is common knowledge to anyone who knows who 50 Cent is.

The Theatrical Trailer is included as the only other bonus material on the disc. That’s all there is really, unless you just LOVE watching that “piracy is a crime” video that plays on every single DVD these days as much as I do… or the eleven minutes of trailers before actually getting to the DVD menu.

The Scores:
– Movie –
Story: 3/10
Acting: 3.5/10
Look/Feel: 3/10
Originality: 2.5/10
Entertainment Value: 1.5/10

– DVD –
Video: 6.5/10
Audio: 7.5/10
Extras: 3/10
Rewatchability: 2/10
Packaging/Presentation: 4/10

FINAL Score: 3.5/10

Currently residing in Washington D.C., John Charles Thomas has been writing in the digital space since 2005. While he'd like to boast about the culture and scenery, he tends to be more of a procrastinating creative type with an ambitious recluse side. @NerdLmtd