There’s no denying that 8 mile is a perfectly serviceable bit of cinema. And there’s no denying that it packs a few punches and that Eminem himself pulls off a perfectly adequate performance. And the world that is represented is compelling and mostly realistic. But I have to confess, as I looked at the seriousness with which they approached the combative rap scenes, I found myself unable to fully grasp why these were quite such big deals. It’s two grown men calling each other names in rhyme, surely? It’s artful and creative – gutsy even – but at no point did you get the feeling that these were battles of life and death. And weirdly, in the background, the threat of eviction and homelessness with a small child to look after seems almost trivial… Strange priorities…
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