Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
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A young man attempts to trade his life of crime for a career in rap music.
The story
Marcus is a quiet boy who lives a relatively comfortable life supported by his mother's drug-dealing income. After a series of personal tragedies, including his mother's murder, Marcus is forced to live with his grandparents and begins selling drugs to survive. As he grows older, he abandons high school to work for a local kingpin. Years later, after a violent encounter with a Colombian drug dealer leads to his imprisonment, Marcus receives encouragement from a fellow inmate to abandon the drug trade. He decides to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a rapper, adopting the stage name Young Caesar.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Marcus is a quiet boy who lives a relatively comfortable life supported by his mother's drug-dealing income. After his mother is murdered, Marcus begins selling drugs to survive, eventually working for a local kingpin, Levar. After a violent retaliation against a Colombian drug dealer named Raul leads to his imprisonment, Marcus befriends an inmate named Bama. Encouraged by Bama, Marcus decides to pursue a career in rap music as 'Young Caesar.' Despite the opposition of the local kingpin, Majestic, Marcus begins his music career. Majestic attempts to sabotage Marcus's success through threats and violence. After a final robbery on a Colombian safe house, Marcus is shot and hospitalized. During his recovery, he reevaluates his life and prioritizes his family. Majestic eventually kills Marcus's friend Justice and reveals he was the one who murdered Marcus's mother years prior. At Marcus's concert debut, Majestic attempts to intimidate him on stage. After a confrontation where Bama shoots and kills Majestic, Marcus performs 'Hustler's Ambition' for the crowd.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jim Sheridan
- Writers
- Terence Winter · writer
- Cast and characters
- Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson · Marcus Grier; Terrence Howard; Joy Bryant; Bill Duke; Marc John Jefferies; Leon Robinson; Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje; Omar Benson Miller
- Genres
- crime drama; coming-of-age drama; musical
- Themes
- rags-to-riches; ambition; family; crime vs. music
- Tone and mood
- gripping; vivid; angry
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; semi-autobiographical; hood film; musical
- Source material / true-story basis
- 50 Cent's life experiences and his 2003 debut album.
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, being described as a financial disappointment that was too similar to other rags-to-riches stories. However, it gained a cult following for its soundtrack and remains a standout in 50 Cent's career.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 17% · scale: approval rating · review count: 120
- Production trivia
- The film was known as Locked and Loaded during production.; Samuel L. Jackson turned down a co-starring offer because he felt the lead actor was inexperienced.; The film was used as a template for the 2002 film 8 Mile.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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