I finally got to see this on DVD and dayum I was impressed with Terrence Howard. He got game!
Hustle & Flow has a noticeable emotional pull from the conflicts arising as Howard’s character pursues his music. A couple of scenes with the outspoken, tough-talking Lexus have power, especially one with her baby. Isaac Hayes adds a sagely presence as a local proprietor who keeps an eye out for DJay
Howard and Ludacris acted well together in the provocative urban drama Crash and DJay and Skinny say that “you can’t take the fight out of the dog.” Their latter scenes don’t quite have the same impact, but one can’t diss the film for not having a raw backbone of underlining that everyone has to have a dream. And, within a Memphis sustained with its blues and country music, Howard magnetically demonstrates, with a profile of a younger Clarence Williams III, that it’s hard being a pimp. You should see it just for Terrance Howard’s performance alone, but it was pretty good overall.