8 Mile (2002)

Director:

Curtis Hanson

Writer (WGA):

Scott Silver (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

Go back to where it all started.

Plot:

A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make the most of what could be his final opportunity but his problems around gives him doubts.

Plot Keywords:

Contest | Friend | Model | Gun | Single Mother

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Eminem	...	Jimmy 'B-Rabbit' Smith
Kim Basinger	...	Stephanie Smith
Mekhi Phifer	...	David 'Future' Porter
Brittany Murphy	...	Alex
Evan Jones	...	Cheddar Bob
Omar Benson Miller	...	Sol George
De'Angelo Wilson	...	DJ Iz
Eugene Byrd	...	Wink
Taryn Manning	...	Janeane
Larry Hudson	...	Bouncer
Proof	...	Lil' Tic
Mike Bell	...	Shorty Mike
DJ Head	...	Battle DJ
Michael Shannon	...	Greg Buehl
Chloe Greenfield	...	Lily Smith
Mary Hannigan	...	Mrs. Helgeland
Anthony Mackie	...	Papa Doc
Strike	...	Lyckety-Splyt
Nashawn 'Ox' Breedlove	...	Lotto
Na'Keya Snoddy	...	Papa Doc's Girl
Malik Barnhardt	...	Moochie
Day Golfin	...	Day
Allen Adams	...	Omar
Hom	...	Parking Lot Rapper #1
Obie Trice	...	Parking Lot Rapper #2
Njeri Earth	...	Parking Lot Rapper #3
Jennifer Kitchen	...	Willing Girl
Kyla Womack	...	Alex's Friend
Melissa Zaglanikzny	...	Christine
Rockey Black	...	Rocky
Craig Chandler	...	Paul
Paul Bates	...	Manny
Miz-Korona	...	Female Lunch Truck Rapper
Xzibit	...	Male Lunch Truck Rapper
Abdul Salaam El Razzac	...	Joe Lee Patton
Steven Monroe	...	Plant Worker
John Smith Jr.	...	Lobby Security Guard
Venicia Foreman	...	WJLB Receptionist
Waverly W. Alford II	...	Big O
Bushman	...	WJLB Disc Jockey
Adam Brook	...	Roy Darucher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dave Daniels	...	Chin Tiki Club Goer (uncredited)
Karin Dicker	...	Sarah Jane - Age 8 (archive footage) (uncredited)
Brandon T. Jackson	...	Chin Tiki Club Goer (uncredited)
Jason Jarchow	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Kei Leong	...	Shelter Nightclub Goer (uncredited)
Juanita Moore	...	Annie Johnson (archive footage) (uncredited)
Russell Rabb	...	Bathroom Thug (uncredited)
Jerry Reid	...	Club Goer (uncredited)
Nickola Shreli	...	Extra (uncredited)
Grace Stafford	...	Woody Woodpecker (archive sound) (uncredited)
Sara Stokes	...	Girl in Crowd (uncredited)
Steve Van Hee	...	Chin Tiki Club Goer (uncredited)

Directed by
Curtis Hanson

Writing credits (WGA)
Scott Silver		(written by)

Produced by
Carol Fenelon	....	executive producer
Gregory Goodman	....	executive producer
Brian Grazer	....	producer
Curtis Hanson	....	producer
Jimmy Iovine	....	producer
Stuart Parr	....	co-producer
Paul Rosenberg	....	executive producer
James Whitaker	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Proof

Cinematography by
Rodrigo Prieto

Film Editing by
Craig Kitson
Jay Rabinowitz

Casting by
Mali Finn

Production Design by
Philip Messina

Art Direction by
Kevin Kavanaugh

Set Decoration by
Kristen Toscano Messina

Costume Design by
Mark Bridges

Makeup Department
Matiki Anoff	....	key makeup artist
Jane English	....	body makeup artist: Ms. Basinger
Camille Friend	....	key hair stylist
Erma Kent	....	hair stylist supervisor
Winnye Knight	....	assistant makeup artist
Donald Mowat	....	makeup supervisor
Ronnie Specter	....	makeup artist: Ms. Bassinger
Mitchell Stone	....	hair stylist: Ms. Basinger
Kymber Blake	....	daily assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Kimberly Jones	....	daily assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Kimberley Kirkpatrick	....	daily assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
Brandi Mitchell	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)
Valli O'Reilly	....	makeup artist: Ms. Basinger (uncredited)

Production Management
Mary Courtney	....	unit production manager (as Mary J. Courtney)
Graham Stumpf	....	post-production supervisor
Zane Weiner	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eric Heffron	....	first assistant director (as Eric N. Heffron)
Michael J. Moore	....	second assistant director (as Michael Moore)
David K. Riebel	....	second second assistant director (as David Riebel)
Jason Cox	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas Betts	....	set designer
Mike Bomar	....	set painter
Richard Boris	....	head greensman
Shane Buckallew	....	plaster foreman (as Shane R. Buckallew)
John Bullard	....	gang boss propmaker
Sophie Carlhian	....	set decorating buyer
William Rob Chalk	....	set dressing foreman
Darien N. D'Alfonso	....	scenic artist
Keni Davis	....	signwriter
Bill Duffin	....	gang boss propmaker
Michael Jon Duffin	....	gang boss propmaker (as Michael Duffin)
Louie Esparza	....	set painter (as Louie Esparza Jr.)
Robert Fidalgo	....	labor foreman (as Robert Fildalgo)
Gerard Forrest	....	construction foreman
Hank Giardina	....	paint supervisor
William Gideon	....	construction foreman (as William W.Gideon)
Nickolas Gilbert	....	set dresser (as Nikolas A. Gilbert)
Aaron C. Holden Jr.	....	assistant property master
Bruce Johnson	....	set painter (as Bruce L. Johnson)
Bryan Johnson	....	set painter (as Bryan C. Johnson)
Elizabeth Keenan	....	set dresser
Bud Kucia	....	welder
Charles Lawson	....	set dresser (as Charles E. Lawson)
Steven B. Melton	....	property master
Joe Miller	....	propmaker (as Joseph Miller)
John Moore	....	construction buyer
Mary O'Brien	....	set painter (as Mary M. O'Brien)
Harry E. Otto	....	set designer
Jim Paniagua	....	construction toolman
Larry Paulus	....	propmaker (as Lawrence Paulus)
Troy Alan Peters	....	set dresser (as Troy Peters)
Beth Peterson	....	set dresser
Paul Richards	....	leadman
Neil Rust	....	set painter
Jerry Sanders	....	set dresser
Robert Schleinig	....	set dresser
Chris Snyder	....	construction coordinator
Dale Snyder	....	gang boss propmaker
Nicole Sylvester	....	art department coordinator (as Nicole C. Sylvester)
Joshua Weil	....	set painter (as Joshua T. Weil)
Tracy Turner Weil	....	set painter (as Tracy S. Weil)
Paul Williamson	....	set dresser (as Paul M. Williamson)
Curtis Yackel	....	gang boss propmaker
Chris Zimmerman	....	stand-by painter
Rolfe D. Bergsman	....	set designer (uncredited)
Kevin Dalton	....	conceptual artists (uncredited)
Marc Gabbana	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Brad Good	....	props (uncredited)
Guy Hietala	....	painter gang boss (uncredited)
Melody Miller	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Mark Robert Taylor	....	art department assistant (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard Adrian	....	sound effects editor
Nancy Barker	....	first assistant sound editor
Ron Bartlett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Bretter	....	sound recordist
Stephanie Brown	....	assistant sound editor
Rick Canelli	....	adr recordist
Gail Carroll-Coe	....	utility sound technician
Dane A. Davis	....	supervising sound editor
William R. Dean	....	assistant sound editor (as Bill R. Dean)
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	sound consultant: Dolby (as Thom Ehle)
Julia Evershade	....	supervising sound editor
Stephanie Flack	....	supervising dialogue editor
Paul Hackner	....	assistant sound editor
Eddie Kim	....	assistant sound editor
Mark R. La Pointe	....	sound recordist (as Mark Lapointe)
Andrew Lackey	....	supervising foley editor
Mary Jo Lang	....	foley mixer
Mark Larry	....	sound effects editor
Danny Michael	....	production sound mixer
Joe Milner	....	sound effects editor
Alyson Dee Moore	....	foley artist (as Alyson Moore)
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr recording mixer
John Roesch	....	foley artist
Andrew Schmetterling	....	boom operator
Mark Smith	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thom Brennan	....	foley editor (uncredited)
Christopher Eakins	....	sound effects (uncredited)
John Marquis	....	sound effects (uncredited)
Noel McIntosh	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
James Azizi Penny	....	group adr (uncredited)
Victoria Rose Sampson	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jim Baker	....	special effects assistant
Sam Barkan	....	special effects assistant
Ryan Evans	....	special effects assistant
Rodman Kiser	....	special effects foreman
Frank Krenmuller	....	special effects assistant (as Frank R. Krenmuller)
John D. Milinac	....	special effects coordinator
Don Parson	....	special effects assistant
Thomas J. Ridgen	....	special effects assistant (as Thomas Rigden)
John Rigden	....	special effects assistant
Michael Kay	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
David Waszak	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Chris Crowell	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
John R. Ellis	....	digital cleanup artist (uncredited)
Steven Emmert	....	optical compositor: THDX (uncredited)
Thomas Mathai	....	digital cleanup artist (uncredited)
James D. Tittle	....	digital visual effects coordinator: Pacific Title (uncredited)

Stunts
Clayton J. Barber	....	stunt double (as Clayton Barber)
David Barrett	....	stunts
Stanton Barrett	....	stunts
Kiante Elam	....	stunts
Kofi Elam	....	stunts
James Fierro	....	stunts (as Jim Fierro)
Willie Green	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunt coordinator
John 'Punch' Lewis	....	stunts (as John Lewis)
Richard Lexsee	....	stunts
Larry C. Tankson	....	stunts (as Larry Tankson)
T.J. White	....	stunts (as Terence James White)
Stanton Barrett	....	stunt double: Marshall Mathers (uncredited)
T.J. White	....	stunt double: Michael Shannon (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark David Adler	....	video assist technician (as Mark Adler)
Michael W. Anderson	....	lighting technician
Robby Baumgartner	....	chief lighting technician (as Robert Baumgartner)
Carl Blair	....	grip
Glenn Brown	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Matt Cantu	....	rigging electrician
Jesse Cecchini	....	rigging electrician
Michael J. Conner	....	lighting technician
Dave De Brincat	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (as David DeBrincat)
Michael Duarte	....	grip (as Michael R. Duarte)
Brad Fanfalone	....	camera loader
Ryan Floyd	....	grip
Donald Glenn	....	dolly grip (as Don Glenn)
Ron Glenn	....	second company grip
Joel Hale	....	rigging electrician (as Joel T. Hale)
Brad Irvin	....	lighting technician (as Brad J. Irvin)
Gary Jay	....	camera operator
Glenn Kaplan	....	second assistant camera (as Glenn D. Kaplan)
Mark Karavite	....	Steadicam operator
Brian Kelly	....	grip
Michael Kelly	....	lighting technician
Dean M. King	....	first company grip (as Dean King)
Kenny King	....	grip
Brad Knopf	....	rigging electrician (as Bradley A. Knopf)
Jay Levy	....	first assistant camera
David 'Louie' Lukasik	....	lighting technician (as Dave Lukasik)
Patrick Pask	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Patrick J. Pask)
Todd 'Chin' Piepenbrok	....	best boy rigging grip
Eli Reed	....	still photographer
Jim Rogers	....	lighting technician
Tom Rondot	....	electrician
Anthony 'Spike' Simms	....	rigging gaffer (as Anthony Simms)
Bill Summers	....	grip
Don Sustrich	....	grip
Peter Walts	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Scott Zuckerberg	....	rigging electrician (as Scott D. Zuckerberg)
Trevor Carroll-Coe	....	film loader (uncredited)
Michael Chamberlain	....	additional rigging electrician (uncredited)
William Eichler	....	additional second assistant camera (uncredited)
Scott Ghrist	....	lighting assistant (uncredited)
Paul A. Hardiman	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Matthew Haskins	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera (uncredited)
Chris Milani	....	electrician (uncredited)
Vinny Walsh	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Mindy Bazar	....	casting associate
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Stacy Opalewski	....	casting assistant (as Stacey A. Opalewski)
Sharat Raju	....	casting assistant
David Rapaport	....	casting assistant
Deedra Ricketts	....	extras casting
Taryn Shick	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Casey	....	costume supervisor (as John C. Casey)
Lizzie Cook	....	costumer
Alix Friedberg	....	costumer
Sukari McGill	....	costumer
Donna O'Neal	....	costumer: Ms. Basinger
Christine Orth	....	key costumer
Barnaby Smith	....	costumer
Marianna Harrison	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)
Bernadine Vida	....	costume stitcher (uncredited)

Editorial Department
John Peter Bernardo	....	assistant editor
Steve Bowen	....	digital color timer
Aaron Brock	....	assistant editor
M. Wilson Burdorff	....	post-production assistant
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Richard Conkling	....	first assistant editor: film
Liza D. Espinas	....	assistant editor
Katie Hedrich	....	second assistant editor
Cecilia Hyoun	....	first assistant editor: avid
Matt Mayer	....	first assistant editor: avid
Eric O. Schusterman	....	first assistant editor: film
Angus Spottiswoode	....	second assistant editor
Kenny Becker	....	color timer (uncredited)
Carole Cowley	....	digital intermediate producer (uncredited)
Ben Estrada	....	digital colorist assistant (uncredited)
Amy Tompkins	....	digital intermediate editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Jeff Bass	....	song: music and lyrics by
Eminem	....	additional composer
Eminem	....	music arranger
Eminem	....	songs: music and lyrics by
Carol Fenelon	....	music supervisor
Carlton Kaller	....	music editor (as Carl Kaller)
Steven King	....	music arranger (as Steve King)
Steven King	....	music engineer (as Steve King)
Debra Mannis-Gardner	....	music clearance (as Deborah Mannis-Gardner)
Kathy Nelson	....	executive in charge of music: Universal Pictures
Luis Resto	....	additional composer
Luis Resto	....	music arranger
Luis Resto	....	songs: music and lyrics by
Robert Schaper	....	supervising music engineer
Christopher Kaller	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)
David Raymond	....	music playback (uncredited)
Gary Raymond	....	music playback (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Linda Barnes	....	driver
Larry Cumeralto	....	driver
Patrick Dougherty	....	transportation captain
Kenneth Fistler	....	driver
John Gerhard	....	driver
Norbert Grzywacz	....	driver
Christian Hoerger	....	driver
Vince Junkins	....	transportation captain (as Vince Riggle)
Kurt Knudsen	....	driver
Pat McCartney	....	driver (as Patrick McCartney)
Dennis McCleod	....	driver
Frank Morreale	....	driver (as Francesco Morreale)
Lee Nicholson	....	driver
Thomas Rexa	....	driver
Marc Scott	....	transportation coordinator
Ken Stevens	....	driver (as Kenneth Stevens)
Jaime Trujillo	....	driver
Michael A. Williams	....	driver (as Michael Williams)
Charles Wolschlager	....	driver
Dave Zugaj	....	driver (as David Zugaj)
Gina August	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Kokayi Ampah	....	location manager
Kevin Baker	....	assistant: Mr. Hanson and Ms. Fenelon
Jody Beaudin	....	first assistant accountant
Ralph Bertelle	....	production office coordinator
Jamie Biehl	....	production secretary
Joshua Bitton	....	cast associate (as Joshua Biton)
Robert C. Bonnell	....	production assistant
Ron Bozymowski	....	production assistant
Felecia Hatcher Brown	....	production assistant (as Felicia Hatcher-Brown)
Michael J. Burmeister	....	location manager
Eva Z. Cabrera	....	script supervisor
Kathleen Callahan	....	craft service (as Kat Callahan)
Lanei Chapman	....	adr voice: Click
Jason Cox	....	production assistant (as Jason M. Cox)
Kim Crabb	....	production assistant
Django Craig	....	adr voice: Click
Anna Culp	....	assistant: Mr. Grazer
Mike Grady	....	production assistant
Shannon Hamed	....	production office coordinator
Todd Havern	....	production assistant
Pamela Hilse	....	assistant production coordinator
Paula S. Hudson	....	first aid
Anthony Jackson	....	production assistant
Eric Jackson	....	production assistant
Loki Jordan	....	adr voice: Click
Dara Kartz	....	assistant: Mr. Rosenberg (as Dara Cartz)
Erin Kelly	....	first aid
Marc Labelle	....	logistics coordinator: Eminem
Ted Leonard	....	production assistant (as Ted J. Leonard)
Tali Lipa	....	production accountant
Terence Mathews	....	adr voice: Click
James Maull	....	post-production accountant (as James O. Maull)
Carol McConnaughey	....	unit publicist
Jason McGuire	....	assistant: Mr. Iovine
Roy McMullen	....	production assistant
Guy Morrison	....	production assistant
Hilton Napoleon	....	security advisor
Lionel Nealy	....	production assistant
Todd Nesbitt	....	assistant: Mr. Whitaker
Liz Probst	....	payroll accountant (as Elizabeth Probst)
Scott Puckett	....	assistant: Mr. Goodman
Cheo Ramsey	....	production assistant (as Cheo M. Ramsey)
Ginger Ramsey-Grippe	....	assistant: Mr. Iovine
Miguel Raya	....	assistant: Mr. Grazer
Maria Rodriguez	....	production assistant
J.T. Rogers	....	production assistant
Jerrell Skinner	....	production secretary
Michael A. Sluder	....	production assistant
Jeffery Sudz	....	production assistant
Zak Szyszko	....	production assistant
Nancy Tarr-Wager	....	assistant: Mr. Hanson and Ms. Fenelon
Carson Taylor	....	projectionist assistant
Mark Taylor	....	production assistant
Marta Tomkiw	....	production assistant
Harold Turel	....	dailies projectionist
Richard Turel	....	dailies projectionist
Patrick Wager	....	production assistant
Mitchell Waxman	....	assistant: Mr. Hanson and Ms. Fenelon
Marvin Williams	....	key set production assistant (as Marvin J. Williams Jr.)
David L. Wolfson	....	location manager
Dawn Zoltek	....	production assistant
Cynthia Blaise	....	dialect coach: Mekhi Phifer (uncredited)
Mark Chambers	....	production safety (uncredited)
Kylee Fagan	....	stand-in: "Lily" (uncredited)
Karen Golden	....	additional script supervisor (uncredited)
Nancy Haecker	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Marisol Jiménez	....	construction accountant (uncredited)
Arif S. Kinchen	....	voice-over (uncredited)
Peter Martorano	....	location manager (uncredited)
Anthony Morrison	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Kelly Morrison	....	production assistant (uncredited)
George A. Parker	....	technical supervisor: preview (uncredited)
David Rumble	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Jennifer Secord	....	stand-in: "Alex" (uncredited)
Aricka Shuck	....	photo double (uncredited)
Aricka Shuck	....	photo double: Kim Basinger (uncredited)
Steve Van Hee	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Thomas Zambeck	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Craig G	....	special thanks
Maurice Malone	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Imagine Entertainment
• Mikona Productions GmbH & Co. KG

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Bombos filmai (2003) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Filmes Lusomundo (2003) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Germany) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Japan) (theatrical) (Far East)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2003) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2003) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (Universal's 100th Anniversary)
• Veronica (2005) (Netherlands) (TV)

Other Companies

• Boyd Reliant Services  location security
• Click  adr voice group
• Danetracks  sound post-production
• Doggicam Systems  BodyMount provided by
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• EFilm  digital mastering
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Hart Medical  emergency medical services (as Hart Medical E.M.S.)
• Imagine Entertainment  presents
• Interscope Records  soundtrack released by
• J.L. Fisher  camera dollies
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• Mario's Catering  catering
• Mid America Cine Support  expendables
• Mid America Cine Support  generators
• Mid America Cine Support  grip and lighting equipment
• New Center Stamping  thanks
• Pacific Title  main and end titles
• Pivotal Post  telecine by
• Playback Technologies  24 frame video playback
• R & S Security  location security
• RPM Group  promotion and marketing
• Rocky Mountain Motion Pictures  cameras and lenses
• Shady Records  soundtrack available on (as Shady)
• Skyline Entertainment  publicity
• Tai Audio  audio equipment provided by
• Tai Audio  walkies provided by
• UMG Soundtracks  soundtrack released by
• Universal Pictures  presents

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, sexuality, some violence and drug use

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R13 (re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | USA:R (certificate #39361) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Taiwan:R-18 | Philippines:R-18 | Hungary:18 | Canada:14+ (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Chin Tiki Club - 2121 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Imagine Entertainment

Trivia:

During filming, Eminem could be spotted in between takes writing in a notebook as that was his only chance to compose the film's soundtrack.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Rabbit and his crew are driving through Detroit at night before they shoot the pintail's, they pass a CVS Pharmacy store. These stores were known as Arbor Drugs in 1995 before they were bought out and turned into CVS.

Quotes:

B. Rabbit:Ward, I think you were a little hard on the beaver. So was Eddie Haskell, Wally, and Mrs. Cleaver.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "100 höjdare: När hybrisen kom till byn (#3.6)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Last Dayz

A Quality Piece of Hard-Hitting Naturalism

8 Mile probably isn't what you expect. Given the cast and premise, you probably expect one of two things, either a silly excuse for self-aggrandizement or an overblown caricature of hip-hop culture. You don't get either. What you get is a brave film that is surprisingly culturally and intellectually rigorous and an aggressive film that is so emotionally intense that it seems to sometimes tear itself apart.

The plot is not a biography of Martial Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, but it is very much informed and guided by the experiences of his early career as a rapper in blue-collar and no-collar Detroit. Eminem gives a compelled, powerful performance that diverges just enough from his public self to inject the story with a strong sense of realism without sacrificing anything artistically. The supporting cast also makes fine use of their considerable talents, carving the Detroit of this film out of the world itself, not out of fiction. Even as they help communicate a hard, unforgiving time and place, they also give rise to deep and profound sympathies that don't come around in every film.

The naturalistic presentation doesn't stop there; most of the film is shot on location in Detroit, and the gritty, sometimes almost frenzied design and cinematography firmly establish that this is not just another Hollywood movie. This is a movie that goes places movies don't generally go where, for good or for ill, many people do live every day. For one, 8 Mile might have the most believable, most powerful representation of an automobile factory of any film in the last twenty years, and it still manages to use the location for sophisticated, plot driving drama. Good stuff.

Of course, the film has its flaws. It's very heavy and bleak, at times it skirts the boundary of cliche a little bit, and the villains, a rival rap group known as the "Free World," are a little over the top, but, time and again, the solid acting and daunting camerawork keep coming back to seize the eye and command attention.

Oh, and, in case you were wondering, there is rapping, and plenty of it. The rapping is really top-quality, cutting edge stuff, for the most part, and it is integrated into the script so well that it is always clear that the characters choose to rap, not that the script forces them to do so. The rapping happens because it must happen to these characters at this time, not because Eminem is a rapper. In an industry where pop music movies are a dime a dozen, this is particularly impressive. This film says something about rap and the human experience that hasn't been articulated this well many times before; it bridges the gap between rap and poetry in a big way, and makes that gap look a lot smaller.

All in all, the thing that really defines 8 Mile is how committed to this idea the cast and crew must have been in order to make this film. Every minute and every second, the cast's intensity never gives up, and the camera never sleeps. The film is detailed, finely crafted, and has a pounding heart the size of a boxcar. If you don't mind the obscenity and violence (and there is a bunch), I'd definitely say this is a movie worth seeing.