Get Rich Or Die Tryin' (Widescreen Edition)

Marcus (50 Cent) has always known he was going to be a rapper. But when his mother is murdered, young Marcus turns to dealing drugs for New York crime boss Majestic to pay the bills. As dealing turns to gang banging, however, Marcus finds his life spinning out of control, eventually landing in prison. While there, he decides to quit hustling and dedicate himself to his music...but by turning his back on Majestic, he may have signed his own death warrant. Terrence Howard co-stars in this hard-hitting story based on 50 Cent's transformation from gangster to rapper, an unforgettable ride from tragic beginning to triumphant end.

In Get Rich or Die Tryin', rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson presents himself as a rap superhero, encased in muscular flesh like armor, his face impassive as a mask, reaching out to destroy his enemies with his unique talent. The plot, though based on Jackson's life, is standard--a gangster breaks from his youthful life of crime to triumph as a rapper--but there's vitality in the details: Jackson's girlfriend helps him pull free the wires holding his jaw shut when he's recovered from being shot in the face; a startling, brutal fight by naked men in a prison shower. Jackson even has his comic-book moment of transformation when a razor blade is thrown into his cell, encouraging him to kill himself; instead, he uses it to carve his rhymes into the walls. Unfortunately, as an actor Jackson only has two sides, gangster hard or oddly childlike and vulnerable. This second aspect falls away from the movie as Jackson assumes power, leaving only the cold, impassive face of a tough guy. That's the fate of superheroes too--they become the mask they present to the world, which is both their dream and their fate. Terrence Howard (Crash, Hustle & Flow) livens things up as a volatile prison friend. Also featuring Bill Duke (Predator) as a raspy ganglord and Joy Bryant (Honey) as Jackson's girlfriend. Capably directed by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In America). --Bret Fetzer