This semi-autobiographical story of a white rapper's struggle for credibility has all the makings of an original and controversial insight into American rap culture. As Eminem's first attempt at acting, it could easily have turned out to be another Crossroads (Britney Spears). Thankfully, it is much more than a 90-minute ad for Eminem's latest CD.

The script and direction do not paint a particularly deep portrait of the hero's character, but this is balanced by excellent supporting performances by Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, and Kim Basinger. Eminem's acting is not bad, either.

8-Mile stops short of any real exploration of life on the bottom rungs of the American socio-economic ladder. However, it is highly recommended for gritty acting, a story that is a welcome variation on most multiplex time-fillers, and a chance to see what the Eminem media madness is all about.

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur (infamous for releasing more material since his death than when he was alive) and Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip-hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield, the veteran documentarian of popular culture, who produced Curt and Courtney and Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, examines the story behind the killings. Of particularly note are his interviews with Russell Poole, an ex-cop who claims there was concealed evidence linking the LAPD and Death Row Records (renamed 'Tha Row Records' following the killings) founder Marion 'Suge' Knight to the killing.

Nick Broomfield always seems quick to judge any subject he documents and Biggie & Tupac is no exception. Broomfield assembles a case charging that Knight was ordered to kill Shakur because the executive owed the singer unpaid royalties and had heard Shakur planned to jump to another record label. This is in no way an unbiased telling of the Biggie and Tupac saga, but it is a well told and interesting editorial/conspiratorial piece. Biggie & Tupac is highly recommended for anyone with even a casual interest in the title personalities or the rap industry in general.