8 Mile (2002) Review

8 Mile (2002)

8 Mile follows Jimmy “B Rabbit” Smith Jr., an aspiring rapper, who, after a series of setbacks, looks to get back at a local gang and show the Detroit rap scene what he’s all about. 

8 Mile really works for one reason and one reason only. In the biopic loosely based on his life, instead of casting just anyone, Eminem plays himself, only a few years removed from his genuine emergence in 1999. And because of that, this film carries such an authenticity and rawness that most hip-hop or musical biopics in general just don’t get. There is no “aha!” moment, no supportive family, just the time until he decides to change his situation and leave the streets of Detroit to become what he’s always known he could be. 

Such a big part of this film is Rabbit’s relationships; his rocky relationship with his mom and her boyfriend, the tight bond he shares with his friends, the rivalry with The Free World, even the women he dates, who ultimately are just as fucked as he is. But it’s the relationship he shares with himself that is most important. Constantly holding himself back, but wanting to unleash this animal and just be himself. It’s a deeply personal internal struggle and it’s literally like watching Eminem tap into his own struggles to match the energy of every scene. After everything, watching him get cheated on and have his ass beat, only to come back more confident than ever, middle fingers up saying fuck The Free World, it’s powerful shit and only something that a guy like Em could’ve conveyed because he lived it. 

We get a fantastic cast too, starring Michael Shannon, De’Angelo Miller, Omar Benson Miller, Kim Basinger, Eugene Byrd, Anthony Mackie, Evan Jones, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, and Eminem. Eminem, for having never acted before, is just great here, bringing a certain life experienced authenticity to his part that is just so honest and raw, where you really feel all of his pent up pain and anger flowing out in his music with such a restrained stillness. 

8 Mile, directed by Curtis Hanson, is such a fantastic character study on just what made Eminem the guy that he is. It’s so raw and powerful and for 2 hours, it’s doesn’t feel like watching a movie, it feels like real life, ups and downs, bullshit and all, as a young rapper just tries to do what’s best for him, even if it means taking that first step. 

8.4/10