This purports to be a film about the life and times of Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, the black hip-hop star mentored by Eminem. It is, however, a heavily melodramatic and overly romanticised, if determinedly violent, view.
Jackson takes the central role of Marcus, a no-hoper from a broken family who somehow manages to make good. Like in Jackson's own story, Marcus's mother is murdered, he escapes extreme poverty through drug dealing, finds a nice girl to share his spoils with, lands up in prison and finally faces down the gangster who killed his mother.
Jim Sheridan, the Irish director who has won six Academy Award nominations, tempers the story's obvious rapper clichés with a mostly black cast whose natural playing is the main reason for seeing the film.
Otherwise, what we get is less emphasis on Jackson's abilities as a hip-hop performer and more on the world through which he triumphantly walks towards success. Watchable, certainly, but a good deal too long for comfort.
Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
Cert: cert15