8 mile film analysis Essay

The 2009 get hold of, 8 air mile, parallels the legitimate sprightlinessspan story of multi-platinum artist, Eminem. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the cinema take a leaks place in 1995, a time where work stoppage melody was growing and Detroit, Michigan had hit an all time low. Eminem (formally referred to as Marshall Mathers) plays prize, a hopeful rapper from the poor side of Detroit and stars interchangeable Brittany Murphy, Kim Basinger, and Mekhi Phifer all play key roles in the film. The film follows the lyrically twaddlented prize, also known as Rabbit by his friends, and his struggle to become a cleanned rapper in a predominately black field. He also struggles with dealing with his alky mother, poor affable status, and his rival gang who call themselves The Free globe (8 ml, Wikipedia.com). The film effectively portrays the rap competition in Detroit and Jimmys fight to be on top. 8 land miles urban tale raises questions ab kayoed stereotypes, clan separation , and segregation, while gaining the viewers respect for blame music and successfully developing flakes and victimization real life matters to reproduce a true story.The film begins with Jimmy Smith (Eminem), a issue and unhappy blue-collar worker from a poor family, struggling with different aspects of his life. He has moved endorse north of 8 land mile Road to the run floor laggard home in Detroit, Michigan of his alcoholic mother, Stephanie (Kim Basinger), his little sister Lily (Chloe Greenfield), and Stephanies abusive live-in boyfriend Greg (Michael Shannon). Jimmy is focused on brookting his music carg one and solitary(prenominal)(a)r started, only when he gain vigorms unable to catch a break. Jimmy comes to realize that his life has remained generally the same since he graduated high school. (8 Mile, rottentomatoes.com) At first, he considers himself a victim of his circumstances and blames others for his problems. Over time, though, Jimmy begins to take more(p renominal) responsibility for the direction of his life.His newly established descent with Alex (played by Brittany Murphy) ends when Jimmy walks in on his friend Wink (Eugene Byrd) having sex with her. Jimmy beats up Wink, which later causes Wink to join forces with Jimmys enemies, a gang of rappers known as the leaders of the Free World. Later, Wink and the Free World gang jump him startside of his mothers trailer, but when one member pulls a gun on Jimmy, Wink stops him and they leave. Jimmysfriends run through hailed him throughout the film as an incredible rapper, and his friend Future (Mekhi Phifer) puts pressure on Jimmy to get his revenge by competing against the Leaders of the Free World at the next rap battle. (8 Mile, wikipedia.com) The battle acts as a final conflict with the Leaders of the Free World gang who extradite harassed Jimmy throughout the film. It has three rounds, and in each of them Jimmy confronts a member of the gang. Jimmy wins both of the first two r ounds and in the last round, he is paired against Papa Doc (Anthony Mackie), the tourneys most feared battler and Jimmys main thwarter throughout the film. Jimmy is informed that Doc knows all his weak points, so he decides to address them with his freestyle.Jimmy acknowledges without shame his lower-class sporting trash roots and the humiliations the Free World gang contain inflicted on him, and then uses the difficult life he has had as basis to reveal the truth about Papa Doc. With little to say in rebuttal, Papa Doc gives the microphone back to Future and Jimmy wins the battle. As Jimmy leaves the venue, Future suggests that he stay and celebrate his victory while also offering a position that would allow him to host battles at The Shelter. Jimmy turns him down, claiming he has to get back to work and to find success his own way. He then starts walking back to work, feeling more confident about his future. (8 Mile, wikipedia.com) The depiction is titled after a main street in Michigan, 8 Mile pathway. 8 Mile Road has carried major cultural significance it has served as a physical and cultural dividing line surrounded by the wealthier, predominantly white northern suburbs of Detroit and the poorer, predominantly black urban center (Michigan highway). The road plays a major man in the film and is the reason for the two different rap crews. One rap assemblage, Three One-Third is the one that Jimmy and his friends, Dr. Iz, Cheddar Bob, Future and Sol are a part of. Their group name is a representation of the slums they live in, with their area code beingness 313. Most of them are black, have old cars and live in run down homes. Jimmy lives in a trailer park with his alcoholic mother, and is often stereotyped as white trash. Throughout the cinema the grammatical cases consultation the road to one a nonher aware of its cultural meaning. Jimmy raps about it repeating in one of his freestyles, repeating, Everybody from the 313 put your motherf***ing hands up and follow me (The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From 8 Mile) He also raps Im gonna turn around with a great smile, and walkmy white ass back across 8 Mile (8 mile lyrics).The Free World, the second group in the film, lives on the northern side of 8 Mile. They are part of a middle class Detroit and their crew includes Papa Doc, Wink, Lyckity Splyt, and Lotto. They own guns, dress better, and have more control over the Detroit area imputable to their higher social status. They have the upper hand in the hip-hop game and are convinced they have the better connections and are gonna make it before Rabbit does. Papa Doc even owns an escalade in which they all pull up in when press release to beat up Rabbit, proving they are the antagonist in the film. 8 Mile is non only the title of the film but also the racial boundary that sets imaginary lines in class separation in the movie and in Detroit today.The notorious road is not the only racial dispute in the film. Rabbit struggles multiple times throughout the movie simply because he is white. In the opening scene, you see Rabbit in a club sewer preparing to rap battle. As he leaves the bathroom he passes the bouncer to proceed backstage. He quickly gets halt by the bouncer and the large black man asks Where the hell do you think youre going? Rabbit looks startled and begins to argue, claiming that the bouncer had just seen him leave to go the bathroom. When thebouncer replies, I didnt see nothin Rabbit gets worked up and screams Man, you just fuckin seen me I just went to the bathroom He continues to fight with the bouncer and is not let in until his black friend, Future, who is respected in the Detroit area, grabs him and lets the bouncer know that hes cool off. (8 mile, imbd.com) When Rabbit goes to rap, the camera focuses on him, then on the crowd where viewers take a mental note of the all black mob he is about to rap to. When the camera focuses back Rabbit, he looks nervous, chokes and walks off st age. This scene really portrays how difficult it is for Rabbit to overcome his disadvantage of being white in, what it seems to be, an all black competition. The opening scene makes Rabbit seem like a panicked white boy, fearful of the judgement of the blacks, but as the movie continues, Rabbits character grows and becomes less afraid. Not only do you see Rabbit becoming less fearful, but he also reveals his soft contact for children. After Rabbit flees from the rap battle, he goes backto live with his mother since he recently broke up with his lady friendfriend whom he lived with. Once he meets his mothers new boyfriend, they get into a verbal argument where Jimmy throws a beer bottle at him. The argument wakes up Jimmys little sister, Lily.Once Lily comes out, even the tone of Rabbits voice changes. He becomes higher pitch and looks at her with a softness in his eyes, and when requested to sing her to sleep, he does so, singing to her a stock he comes up with on the spot. This scene illustrates the complexity of Jimmys character and shows that he is more than just a white trash rapper. Another key moment in the film that shows Rabbit growing as a person is a work scene. When Rabbits car breaks down, hes late to work and upon questioning, Rabbit quickly says its not his fault. A few scenes later, when some other(prenominal) on the job dispute happens, he stops himself from saying that it wasnt his fault and assures his boss that it wint happen again. The audience can realize that Rabbit is maturing and taking responsibility for his actions. Another complex character is Rabbits friend, Dr. Iz. Although his do-rag and large clothing say otherwise, he is a complex character who often looks deeply into things. He says when looking around the city, Man, do you know how many abandoned buildings we have in Detroit?I mean, how are you supposed to take pride in your neighborhood with shit like that next door? And does the city tear them down? No, they too busy b uilding casinos and taking bills from the people. When his friends make it clear that they dont care he says, Did you care when that crackhead raped that little little girl? You think that woulda happened if he didnt have an abandoned house to take her to (8 Mile Quotes)?. He convinces Rabbit to help them burn down the building by evoking feelings of sympathy and saying It could have been Lily. Jimmys quick urge to help shows the compassion that Jimmy has for his sister and how Dr. Iz and the friends who helped burn the house down view in whats right, have morals, and wanted to erase the memory of a helpless girl getting raped.The actors in the film act tremendously well. Eminems portrayal of Jimmy was simple for him to perform considering the character is based on himself. Although the raps are scripted, Eminem delivers them with such strength. The veins in his arm pop out as he raps and his eyes bulge out of his head, truly showing his passion for rap music. The way Kim Basinge r takes the roleas an alcohol dependent and emotionally unstable is brilliant. She carries out her lines with a shaky, uncertain undertone that truly brings out how emotionally unsure she is. Brittany Murphy plays a seductive and sassy young adult seeking to be a model. She administers her lines with her head slightly down and her big eyes looking up. She shakes her head often and closely seems to be on drugs, but it works for her character. Overall, I think the acting was well done, but not too impressive considering the roles they played werent impossibly hard.The music choice in this film is another aspect to take note of. The song opens up with The Shook Ones by Mobb Deep. The famous line in the song, Cause aint no such thing as a halfway twist is played while Jimmy gets ready to rap, and in his final freestyle that line is used again, but by Jimmy this time. Whenever you see Jimmy coming up with lyrics, the instrumental beat comes on and only the haggling that he is rhyming are heard. While he is in the car with his friends, Biggie Smalls productive is playing. The song is an iconic tune that comes to mind when one thinks about rap music. I also believe it is foreshadowing that like Biggie, Jimmy will also become a legend in the hip-hop industry. When Rabbit is getting beat up by The Free World members, the song Gang Stories by South Central Cartel is playing which has a specific line dont be another sucker on my hit list and Jimmy was definitely on the Free Worlds hit list. The music in the movie really adds on the the hip hop, gangster oscillation of the film, and enhances its effectiveness to show what 1995 Detroit was like.Although the movie reviewing website, Rottentomatoes.com only rated the movie a 6.7/10, I would rate the film a 10. I believe that the actors were very into their characters and all of their roles were extremely believable. The scenery is not staged and was actually record right on 8 Mile, furthering the movies credibility. I also believe the music choice magnifies the movies energy. The film rids itself of subplots and complexities, making it a light film to watch, even though its urban and inner city settings weigh it down. I think people who rate it any lower than a seven out of ten lack an ability to see the artistic side of the film and expect it to be grander, when in reality the movie was not created with intent tobe criticized, or make millions. (8 mile chicagoreader.com). Rather, the film was created to give viewers a deeper insight into what Grammy award winning rapper, Eminem, had to overcome to become the amazing artist he is now and although some may not have received a deeper understanding of the life of a wannabe rapper, I certainly did.Works Cited8 Mile. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014.8 Mile (2002). 8 Mile. N.p., 16 Feb. 2002. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .8 Mile (film). Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .8 Mile . Chicago Reader. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .8 mile lyrics. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .Eminem. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .Full Cast & Crew. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .8 Mile Quotes. Quotefully Browse Your Favorite TV Show and image Quotes. Quotefully Browse Your Favorite TV Show and Movie Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .The 10 Most Memorable Rap Lines From 8 Mile. Vibe. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2014. .