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8 Mile
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (14th June 2009). |
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The Film
 Rappers turned actors, turned fashion designers, turned moguls... sometimes it's just not enough to unleash your music on the world but these days you have to be a double, triple or quadruple threat in the 'industry' to survive. The idea is to be the biggest, best and most talked about. Vanity and wealth are the goals most aim for, the likes of P. Diddy, Jay-Z and 50 Cent are but a couple of examples who have broadened their reach into multiple mediums and industry. Yet throughout their success in music, fashion, etc. their forays into Hollywood stardom still elude them. Rappers don't really make good actors, many have tried and many have failed with only a select few managing to stick it out. Back in 2002 Eminem was riding a career high, his CD's were moving off the shelves at record speeds, his face was everywhere, his antics captured all the time, and he, like those before him (and many after) caught the acting bug. Much like his initial foray into rap, his film career was immediately criticised before anyone saw a single frame. But he'd end up turning heads and delivering a fine performance that no one thought him capable of. He wisely cross-promoted the film with the hugely successful soundtrack that featured some new songs that would stay atop the charts for what seemed like forever. Yet although it's impressive performance from the first-time-actor-long-time-rapper "8 Mile" was just another in a line of stories that sees an unlikely protagonist rise among his peers and make something of himself, despite many set-backs and challenges along the way. It's the American Dream story... with an urban setting and wise-cracking rap battles. "8 Mile" is basically a fictionalized biography of Eminem's own background growing up poor in Detroit. B-Rabbit (Eminem) is a wannabe rapper, during the day he works at a car factory and lives an impoverished life on the wrong side of Detroit's iconic 8 Mile Road. B-Rabbit's life is marred with his dead end job, girlfriend problems and an alcoholic mother. He seems to live in an never ending cycle of disappointment, his only outlet is performing in the underground rap circuit, taking on other competitors on one-on-one rap battles. He meets Alex (Brittany Murphy), tries to get his demo heard and further success depends on his next rap showdown but other problems weigh him down. Upon release the film managed to garner some praise, mainly directed at the film's lead, Eminem. He actually does an admirable job in the film acting in a dramatic role for the first time (and as it turns out may also be the last, as he's never appeared in another film after this). His portrayal as B-Rabbit is affecting and well rounded, it shouldn't come as any surprise that he managed to pull this role off as he's basically playing himself and reliving his own past, except this time on film. Eminem is supplemented with a decent support cast that includes Brittany Murphy as his love interest that seems too keen on him almost immediately. B-rabbit's mother is played by the excellent Kim Bassinger and manages to convince us all that she's a degenerate alcoholic. Meanwhile Mekhi Phifer also adds his two cents to the mix for another reasonably rell rounded character but doesn't stretch beyond his confort zone. This film is essentially a simple story, somewhat based on Eminem's own upbringing as mentioned before, there are the usual clichés scattered around and in the hands of director Curtis Hanson, you'd expect these to be ironed out but instead the story is nothing new and the film's narrative is highly predictable. "8 Mile" doesn't add anything new or refreshing (other than the music, perhaps?) to its genre but does manage to entertain. The characters are interesting and the overall aesthetic look provides a bit more for cinephiles to gawk at. Truthfully I was expecting a train wreak upon the film's original release but wound up pleasantly surprised, and 7 years on I still am despite the film's flaws.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 in high-definition 1080p 24/fps and mastered in AVC MPEG-4 codec. The film takes a gritty look at Detroit, the palette is dark and grainy and the transfer maintains this look well. Sharpness is consistent although there were a few soft spots that I could see, colors appear accurate and skin tones look good under the lighting scheme. The print is clean from dirt and specks however there's a bit more noise amid the black levels which knock it down a few pegs. Overall it's an acceptable image in high-definition and a decent step up from the standard definition DVD released several years ago.
Audio
Three audio tracks are present on this disc in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mixed at 48kHz/24-bit as well as French DTS 5.1 and Spanish DTS 5.1 surround. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-HD audio track. The film is predominantly dialogue based, and thus the soundtrack isn't as aggressive as other films, however its active in its surround channels with a decent amount of subtle ambient sounds, directional effects and of course the film's score. Dialogue is as expected clear and distortion free. Subtitles are in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Universal has included a brief selection of extras that includes two featurettes, a music video and "MyScenes" bookmarks. Below is a closer look at these supplements. First up is "The Making of 8 Mile" a brief EPK featurette that runs for 10 minutes 2 seconds, this clip is a basic clip that covers the production an features behind-the-scenes footage and short interviews. It's a fluff piece and doesn't warrant repeated viewing. "Exclusive Rap Battles Uncensored" is the next featurette that runs for 23 minutes 39 seconds, these are basically audition footage of rappers doing their thing on camera, some more rap battle footage more from the film's star. There's some cool rap segments here but if you're not a big enough fan of these 'battles' then it's best to move on. Following that is the "Superman" music video by the film's star Eminem, presented here uncensored and running for 5 minutes 2 seconds. The only Blu-ray exclusive extra on this disc is the "MyScenes" feature that allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes from the film.
Overall
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