Get Rich or Die Tryin : Movie Review


Get Rich or Die Tryin (2005) - Movie PosterWhen it was announced that Jim Sheridan, the acclaimed Irish director of such films as “In the Name of the Father” and “In America,” had been hired to direct a gangster-rap melodrama loosely based on the life of controversial rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, many people were perplexed as to why he would want to make a film about a culture and environment seemingly so alien to his own. I can understand why Paramount would want to hire someone of his stature instead of just another MTV hack–his presence would lend a certain prestige to what might have otherwise been seen as just another exploitation movie in much the same way that Curtis Hanson did when he signed on to direct the Eminem vehicle “8 Mile.” After seeing the resulting film, “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” I am still perplexed as to why Sheridan would have wanted to make it in the first place, unless he had a secret desire to one day direct a film that is little more than “Jailhouse Rock” with a higher body count.

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Author : Peter Sobczynski