Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, one of the biggest and most popular stars in hip-hop, is the charismatic driving force behind Get Rich or Die Tryin’, a hard-hitting drama directed by our very own Jim Sheridan. The film follows the orphaned street kid as he makes his mark in the drug trade, but finally dares to leave the violence behind and become the rap artist he was meant to be. Be in no doubt as to the phenomenon of 50 Cent; his debut album has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. With his 2005 follow up, The Massacre, 50 Cent became the first artist to have four songs in the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100 since The Beatles in 1964. In 2000 he was shot nine times, including once in the face, outside his grandmother’s house; he survived and went on to have a son, an event which he says turned him to a career in music. 50 Cent and Jim Sheridan may seem like an unlikely union, but it could be argued that the two have quite a lot in common, both coming from inner city working-class areas. Whatever their backgrounds there is a certain chemistry between them; it’s in the story and it’s on the screen.

The film is essentially Curtis Jackson’s life story. It opens with the aftermath of a shooting where we meet Marcus (50 Cent), who introduces the central theme of the film when he tells us he has spent his whole life looking for his father. Whether this is true or not of 50 Cent’s real life, we know that Jim Sheridan he has spent his life making films about troublesome relationships between fathers and sons. As with most Jim Sheridan films, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a great story told really well. There is an emotional maturity that Sheridan brings to his films that is so sorely lacking in many other contemporary filmmakers. The question of the moment about this movie seems to be can 50 Cent act? Well he can play himself, and does so more than adequately. He is believable as a man who struggles to express himself verbally in everyday life, but finds his communicative medium in hip-hop and rap.

This is an archetypal story: a man’s struggle to leave the gun and ghetto behind him. However, one quick click on 50 Cent’s website will leave you in no doubt as to where 50’s stance on guns is: he is featured toting a smoking handgun, leaving us to surmise that this is more Jim Sheridan’s story than it is Curtis Jackson’s. With the help of talented cinematographer Declan Quinn, collaborator on In America, Sheridan again manages to beautifully capture the feel of a retro New York. Combine those beautiful images with a great script by Sopranos’ writer Terence Winter, and with original music contributions from Gavin Friday, Quincy Jones, and Maurice Seezer, and you are set for a great evening in your local Cineplex.

Vanessa Gildea

Rated TBC (see IFCO website for details)
Get Rich or Die Tryin' is released on 20th January 2006.
Get Rich or Die Tryin' – Official website