UK release: 29th September 2006
Former So Solid Crew rapper Ashley Walters delivers a smouldering performance in this likeably ambitious attempt to relocate the rap battles of Eminem’s 8 Mile to the south London “’hood”. Walters plays Danny “D-Biz” Lewis, a DJ who’s about to compete in an “open mic” competition with his crew of mouthy MCs.
As the title suggests, it’s a film of two halves: acid-tongued rappers fight scathing lyrical battles on stage (“She looks suicidal/She’s only here ‘cos she got lost on the way to Pop Idol”), while Danny struggles to avoid the dangers of the ghetto between the breakbeats. Its street cred never entirely convinces — soap opera melodrama undermining its location-shot authenticity — but Walters is a powerful presence, his brooding manner occasionally hinting at a heart of urban darkness beyond the reach of this movie.
***
UK cinema certificate 15
Running time 99mins
Review by Jamie Russell
Pocket Films Blog 