8 Mile (Blu-ray) (2002)

"...Eminem plays Rabbit with riveting, flamboyantly expressive intensity...  John Powers, L.A. Weekly
"...8 Mile is an exciting, well-crafted movie, loaded with urban atmosphere.  Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"...Qualifies as a cinematic event by tapping into the roots of Eminem and the fury and feeling that inform his rap.  Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Editor's Note Controversial rapper Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers) makes his big screen debut with 8 MILE, a bracing drama directed by the increasingly audacious Curtis Hanson. Set in 1995 in the bleak, urban battle zone of Detroit, the film follows the struggles of a young man who is desperate to make a better life for himself. Jimmy Smith, Jr., better known as Rabbit, is destined for a life of squalor. Living in a cramped trailer with his deadbeat mom (Kim Basinger), Rabbit works in a factory to make ends meet. His only outlet is hip-hop. Possessing a talent for freestyle rapping, Rabbit still hasn't managed to unleash his true potential. But his best friend, Future (Mekhi Phifer), is determined to make that happen. Future forces Rabbit to enter a freestyle battle that he blew the week before, giving him another chance at redemption. Hanson's stellar portrait of lower-class urban disillusionment, shot with uncompromisingly gritty realism by Rodrigo Prieto, proves that the issue is no longer about race, it's about money. Eminem delivers a bold performance as the troubled youngster who is still trying to find his place in a harsh, cruel world.

	Kim Basinger
	Eminem
	De'Angelo Wilson
	Mekhi Phifer
	Taryn Manning
	Evan Jones
	Omar Benson Miller
	Eugene Byrd
	Brittany Murphy
	Chloe Greenfield
	Michael Shannon
	Curtis Hanson - Producer
	Luis Resto - Music
	Jeff Bass - Music
	Eminem - Music Performer
	Rodrigo Prieto - Director of Photography
	Scott Silver - Screenwriter
	Jimmy Iovine - Producer
	Brian Grazer - Producer
	Curtis Hanson - Director

Entertainment Weekly
"...Eminem projects the downbeat sex appeal and scurrilous, dead-eyed yearning of a rap-world James Dean....It's a movie of catchy rebel-underdog power..." 09/27/2002 p.49-54

Rolling Stone
"...Eminem shows real screen presence....8 MILE hits hard and provocatively close to home..." 10/19/2002 p.113

Box Office
"...Eminem possesses a furtive instinct as a performer..." 11/01/2002 p.122

Rolling Stone
"...8 MILE qualifies as a cinematic event by tapping into the roots of Eminem and the fury and feeling that inform his rap....Eminem wins by a knockout..." 11/28/2002 p.97-8

New York Times
"...The movie is a success on its own terms because the director doesn't condescend to pop music..." 11/08/2002 p.E1

USA Today
"...The rap sequences are shot and edited with the excitement of a crisply broadcast sporting event..." 11/08/2002 p.7E

Variety
"...Eminem is magnetic playing a version of himself....Basinger is entirely credible..." 11/04/2003 p.27-32

Sight and Sound
"...An illuminating addition to that hall-of-funhouse-mirrors that is Eminem's persona..." 02/01/2003 p.36-42

San Francisco Examiner 8 of 10
For a movie starring a singer-songwriter, 8 Mile spends remarkably little time on actual onstage performing. We don't even get to hear the rousing "Lose Yourself," which Eminem wrote specifically for this film, until the closing credits. But, to paraphrase the lyrics from that chart-topping hit: Eminem knew it was his moment, he owned it, and he wasn't going to let it go without trying to establish his cred as a dramatic actor. He didn't blow it. - Joe Leydon

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Eminem survives the X-ray truth-telling of the movie camera, which is so good at spotting phonies. He is on the level. Here he plays, if not himself, a version of himself, and we understand why he has been accepted as a star in a genre mostly owned by blacks. Whether he has a future as a movie actor is open to question: At this point in his career, there is no reason for him to play anyone other than himself, and it might even be professionally dangerous for him to try. - Roger Ebert