NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005 film)

Get Rich or Die Tryin' is a motion picture starring Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Marcus, a drug dealer aspiring to be a rapper. It is a semi-autobiographical film, much like Eminem's 8 Mile. It was released on November 9, 2005. It was originally named Locked & Loaded, but the title was changed by 50 Cent to the same title as his debut album from 2003. A soundtrack to the film was also released. This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (523x755, 60 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. ... Paul Rosenberg (1881-1959) was a French art dealer, renown for representing Picasso, Braque, and Matisse. ... Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. ... Terence Winter is an American screenwriter and television producer most notably known for his work on the HBO series, The Sopranos which he joined the writing staff during the shows second season. ... For the U.S. currency value, see Half dollar (United States coin). ... Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an Academy Award-nominated American film and stage actor. ... Joy Bryant (born on 19 October 1976 in The Bronx, New York, USA) is an American actress and former fashion model for Tommy Hilfiger. ... Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (born August 22, 1967 in Islington, London, England) is a British actor and a former male fashion model. ... Bill Duke (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the U.S. currency value, see Half dollar (United States coin). ... Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), better known by his stage name Eminem or Slim Shady, is a Grammy and Academy Award-winning American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. ... 8 Mile has the 2002 Academy Award-winning song starring Eminem (Marshall Mathers) as the young white rapper Jimmy Smith Jr. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Get Rich or Die Tryin , released in 2003, is the debut album of New York City rapper 50 Cent. ... Get Rich or Die Tryin is the soundtrack to the 2005 film of the same name starring Curtis Jackson a. ...

Plot

The beginning of the film shows Marcus, Bama (his future manager (Terrance Howard), and two associates robbing a store that is a front for a money laundering operation. After they leave, Marcus is assaulted by a man in a black bandana, covering his face. A promo shot of Terrence Dashon Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American, Academy Award-nominated actor. ... Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and destination of the money in question. ... Categories: Stub ...

The next scene shows Marcus as a child, driving with his mother down the street, talking about how he was constantly looking for his father, whom he did not know, and showing his close relationship with his mother, who left Marcus with his grandmother to sell various forms of drugs on the street. This scene also shows that Marcus knew his mother sold drugs, but he felt that it was only for his benefit. Later, it is shown that Marcus's mother was murdered, then her body burned along with the rest of the house. Scene may refer to: Scene (fiction), an element of a larger fictional work such as a play Scene (film), a part of action in a single location in a TV or movie Scene (music), a collection of musical acts that play regularly in one location. ...

Marcus goes off to live with his grandparents, and is taunted by the other children in the home. After a fight with another child, Marcus's grandfather moves a mattress down to the laundry room to give him his own room, away from the other children.

Not long after, Marcus says it's "time to join the family business", and begins to push drugs on a corner like his mother. During a fight with two other dealers who say that he is pushing on their turf, he is taken away by Majestic, a drug dealer who protected Marcus's mother during a fight when Marcus was a child.

He buys a .357 gun from a man in an alleyway later, saying he didn't know what he wanted a gun for, but he got one anyway. While holding the gun to a mirror, Marcus is portrayed going from his childhood, to his young teenage years. Childhood (song) Childhood is a broad term usually applied to the phase of development in humans between infancy and adulthood. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ...

He begins pushing drugs more often, and his gun is eventually found by his grandfather resulting in Marcus leaving the home. However, the police find packets of cocaine hidden in Marcus's socks and arrest him. This leads to a fight between Marcus and his grandfather, after which Marcus leaves his grandparents' home. This is the culmination of generational and cultural tension as Marcus's grandfather is an older man who speaks with a West Indian accent. Cocaine (or crack in its impure freebase form) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ...

Marcus buys an apartment after running away from home, and, after giving up on his rapping dream in three hours (showing him beginning with a song he dubbed "Gotta Get Outta Hell", which was most likely based off the 50 Cent song "Gotta Make It to Heaven"), begins to push drugs again. Majestic then holds a meeting between the local drug pushers in the gang Marcus's mother was in, which is run by a man named Levar, where Majestic makes cocaine in crack form, and lays down a few rules, one of the most important being "Rule number 5; Show no love. Love will get you killed." It's also shown by now that these drug dealers, all of them African American are in a turf war with the Colombians. Many are slain on both sides, leading Levar to shake hands with the Colombian head after all the escalation led to a Korean liquor store owner shooting two innocent young African-American teens. An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Turf war is a term that describes a common problem in larger companies when two divisions fight for access to resources or capital. ... Spirits redirects here. ...

Shortly after, Marcus forms a 'crew' with a childhood friend named Antwan, a man named Justice he helped in a drug turf fight with the Colombians, and another man named Keryl. At this time too, he rekindles his romance with his childhood friend Charlene, her having been sent somewhere else when her parents find a mix-tape from Marcus, where he dubs himself as Young Caesar (His rapping alias for the time, and in the future) which strongly suggests they have some kind of sexual relationship, despite Marcus commenting he didn't know what the things he said meant when Charlene and Marcus had been together. Human sexuality is the expression of sexual feelings. ... An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship with a great deal of physical and/or emotional intimacy. ...

One night while at a club, Marcus is shot at by the Colombians and Antwan is hit, leaving him a paraplegic. In further retaliation, Marcus shoots the Colombian who crippled Antwan, and is about to execute him, but ends up shooting him in the leg after the man cries out for his father, which incidentally reminded Marcus of his own search for his father (Which may be misunderstood as 'mommy' when he says 'Pappy' in an accent), forcing him to feel slight sympathy for the Colombian. The plot eventually leads to Marcus being arrested for the shooting, with cocaine being found in his apartment. This is odd because one of Majestic's rules was not to leave the product at home. Marcus is sent to a penitentiary, where he meets his future manager and friend, Bama, who saves him from a knifing in the shower which was organized by the Colombian Marcus almost killed earlier in the movie. Charlene visits him during this time and reveals she is pregnant with Marcus's child. Paraplegia is a condition where the lower half of a patients body is paralyzed and cannot move. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ...

During this time, Levar is sent to prison for the hit Marcus made, leaving a political associate in charge. Majestic has the new leader killed after having his right hand man shoot a police officer, and framing the man for this. Majestic then elevates himself to gang leader.

After leaving jail with Bama, Marcus informs Majestic he wanted out of the game, to pursue his rap career because he is going to be a father and needs to be responsible. Bama and Justice don't get along due to Bama's relationship to Marcus, and you can see Justice is somewhat jealous, leading to him reporting to Majestic about Marcus's activities. Marcus at this time is producing many hits, but Majestic, being enraged by Marcus's walking away from drug pushing, has all of the producers in town turn Marcus down for a contract. Also, after Marcus's child is born, Majestic visits Charlene in the maternity ward, picking up the recently born Antwan, and tells her it is in everyone's best interest that Marcus' should not continue with his career. Marcus becomes enraged when he learns about this, and starts giving 24 hour protection to Charlene and Anwan.

After Marcus is unable to find a contract, his crew (at this time Marcus, Bama, Justice, and Keryl) ends up robbing a store run by the Colombian head, and the story leads back to the beginning of the movie. Right before he's about to be shot, the shooter takes off his mask, revealing himself to be Justice, who had followed Marcus alone after Bama and Keryl left in a separate car. As Marcus is shot, his grandmother screams out his name, the final bullet meant for his head shattering his jaw instead.

After a long and painful recovery by Marcus, he begins his rapping dream again. He becomes successful, once again, and this time begins solo rapping instead of working for a contract. After a while, he becomes even more famous, and plans to do a live concert at Pelham Hall. Justice arrives at Majestic's hideout only to find out Marcus was still alive even after shooting him nine times. Majestic in rage stabs him vigorously with his sword in an executionary style.

Before the concert Marcus goes to Levar, who was imprisoned, to ask about his mother's death. Levar confessed that he and Katrina were in a relationship and Majestic had grown very jealous of him since then.

During this time, we see Marcus being a loving father to his son. Before his concert, he drops off little Antwan and Charlene at his mother's house, leaving big Antwan with a sub-machine gun. His aunt, remembering his near fatal shooting, warns Marcus that if he goes out there tonight, he endangers not only himself, but his child and Charlene. Marcus tells her he has to go out there for that very reason.

On the night of the concert, people are outside in the streets protesting the crack cocaine pandemic at this time. Marcus and Majestic also meet face to face at this time. Majestic offers Marcus to be respectful to Majestic, and after Marcus declines, Majestic tells Marcus before his mother died he raped her then killed her, and the two begin to fight.

At the end, Marcus leaves to start the show, after nearly throttling Majestic, leaving him on the ground. Majestic rises from the floor and pulls out a sword, and is shot in the arm by Bama, falling to the ground and begging Marcus to be the one to kill him. But, as Marcus walks away and down the hall, Bama shoots Majestic three more times, in the head, killing him.

Marcus approaches a mirror, and has a revelation on his life, saying "All my life, I had been looking for my father. I realized, I had been looking for myself." And then continuing to say "It felt like I was walking away from the old me, and the new me was being born.", representing his change from cold-blooded murderer, robber, and 'gangster', to a responsible father, adult, and now rapper, his rivalry and former drug situations resolved with the death of Majestic, and revolt by the population of the area to crack cocaine, among other drugs. He ends up going out to perform the concert, performing the song Hustler's Ambition, which summarizes most of his life, talking about his time in jail, the fighting between drug runners in the city, his drug pushing, and other things from the movie, the story ending with him finishing off the song Hustler's Ambition. Italian WWII propaganda poster presenting an Allied airman as a gangster, playing on the popular gangster icons of Al Capone and the Thompson M1928 gun. ...

Characters

Marcus: The character the movie is centered around, a boy who is abandoned by his mother constantly, and eventually orphaned and, in his young teen years, becomes a drug dealer. A good way through the movie, he becomes a successful rapper, though having had dreams of it since childhood.

Majestic: A major drug dealer working for Levar Cahill. He is one of the most likely suspects to have been Marcus's father, due to his close relationship with Marcus's mother, Katrina. It is also revealed near the end of the movie, that Majestic was Katrina's murderer.

Levar Cahill The biggest drug kingpin in the city. He runs the black drug-trade in most of the city, with many 'Crews' of drug dealers branching off from his.

Dangerous The rapper Majestic is managing. Marcus idolizes him, wanting to have the same successful rap career that Dangerous has. Eventually, Marcus begins to make songs that diss Dangerous, since he is now angry at Majestic. This exposes the fact that he is not as gangster as Marcus is. Dangerous seems to be a representation of two of 50 cent's real life enemies, Ja Rule and Benzino. In one scene, Marcus calls out Dangerous as being a Jehovah's Witness, something 50 has said about Ja Rule in real life. Also, Benzino and Dangerous seem to have many physical similarities.

Cast Interviews

Controversy

On October 27, 2005, movie posters for the film featuring 50 Cent with a handgun in one hand and a mic in the other were removed from billboards in Los Angeles school areas after complaints that they promote gun violence and gang activity. 50 Cent later responded that the controversy only further increased the publicity for his film. The two objects in the controversial poster were intended as symbols to represent the transition of the main character from drug dealer to successful rapper. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A handgun is a firearm small enough to be carried and used in one hand. ... A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mike or mic (both IPA pronunciation: ), is an acoustic to electric transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in the cafeteria at Columbine High School, shortly before committing suicide. ...

Controversy was further created when a 30-year-old man, Sheldon Flowers, was shot three times and killed in a cinema near Pittsburgh on November 9, 2005, after watching the film. The cinema stopped showing the film as a result. Also, a cinema chain in Toledo, Ohio, stopped after-midnight screenings of the film because of fears the violence depicted may prompt further civil unrest as seen during the 2005 Toledo Riot. Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area - City 151. ... November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: The Glass City Location in the state of Ohio Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area - City 217. ... On the October 15, 2005, the National Socialist Movement, a United States based Neo-Nazi organization, planned a march to protest alledged gang activity in North Toledo, Ohio. ...

Samuel L. Jackson publicly turned down an offer to co-star in the film, citing that he did not want to lend credence to what he believed was an inexperienced and unproven actor.^[1] Film critic Roger Ebert wrote of Jackson's decision: "Like Bill Cosby, Jackson is arguing against the anti-intellectual message that success for young black males is better sought in the worlds of rap and sports than in the classroom".^[2] Jackson reportedly still thinks that rappers should not be in films, but has spoken with 50 Cent several times about it and has made amends with him.^[3] Both actors will co-star in the 2006 film Home of the Brave, the first feature film about the current Iraq war. Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ... Russ Meyer (left) and Roger Ebert, (1970) Roger Joseph Ebert (June 18, 1942 - ) is an Emmy Award-nominated American television personality, author, and film critic who began writing for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. ... William Henry Bill Cosby, Jr. ... Hip hop music is a style of popular music. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... Home of the Brave is a 2006 drama film following the lives of four American soldiers in Iraq and their return back to the United States. ...

Critical reaction

The critical opinion of Get Rich or Die Tryin' has been mixed but the vast majority have leaned towards negative reviews. While a few top critics like Ebert & Roeper gave the movie "two thumbs up" with a positive review, many other reviewers considered Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's acting debut less than impressive and the "rising to fame" plot of the film too familiar and boring. Ebert & Roeper promotional image Ebert & Roeper (formerly Siskel & Ebert) is a popular movie-reviewing television program starring film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times. ...

It was one of the lowest-rated films on the Internet Movie Database. It has a rating of 3.2 out of 10 as of October 2006. At Rotten Tomatoes, it has a rating of "Rotten", with only 17% of the posted reviews being positive. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The film was expected to be buoyed by the popularity of its star, but due to negative press and general disinterest, audiences did not turn out for it, and it was ultimately a box office bomb. In terms of domestic gross, it earned $30,984,537 against a $40 million budget, but it earned an additional $15,367,487 in foreign receipts. Nonetheless, it fell out of the Top 10 list of highest-grossing films after three weeks in release, and it was withdrawn from most theatres shortly thereafter. This is a list of movies for which the revenue retained by the movie studio didnt cover production and marketing costs. ...

Footnotes

August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Categories: All pages needing to be wikified | Wikify from November 2006 | 2005 films | American films | Films shot in Toronto | Blaxploitation films | Coming-of-age films | Drama films | English-language films | Hip hop media | Hood films | Paramount films The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ... MTV Films is the motion picture production arm of cable channel MTV. Originally founded in 1995, it has produced films based on MTV programs such as Beavis and Butt-head Do America and Jackass: The Movie, as well as other adaptations and original projects. ... The 1999 film 200 Cigarettes stars Ben Affleck, Elvis Costello, Kate Hudson, Jay Mohr, Christina Ricci, Paul Rudd, Martha Plimpton, Casey Affleck, Courtney Love, Dave Chappelle, Janeane Garofalo, Guillermo Diaz, Gaby Hoffmann, Catherine Kellner, Brian McCardie, Nicole Parker and Angela Featherstone. ... Ã†on Flux is a science fiction film produced by Paramount Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment. ... Beavis and Butt-Head Do America is an animated feature film, based on the TV series, Beavis and Butt-Head, that was released on December 20, 1996, produced by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films, and directed by Mike Judge. ... The thriller-horror film Beneath is co-produced in a first time partnership between Paramount Classics (a Viacom subsidiary) and MTV Films. ... Better Luck Tomorrow is a 2002 drama directed by Justin Lin. ... Coach Carter is a 2005 film, directed by Thomas Carter. ... Britney Spears and Anson Mount in Crossroads is a 2002 movie directed by Tamra Davis. ... Is It Fall Yet? is the first of two movie-length instalments featured in MTVs animated series Daria. ... Daria: Is It College Yet? was the telemovie series finale for the television show, Daria. ... Dead Man on Campus is a 1998 comedy starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tom Everett Scott. ... Election is a 1999 film adapted from a critically acclaimed 1998 novel[1] of the same name by Tom Perrotta. ... The Fighting Temptations is a 2003 comedy film. ... Freedom Writers is an American film starring Hilary Swank, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton and Patrick Dempsey released on January 5, 2007. ... Hustle & Flow is an Academy Award-winning film directed by Craig Brewer, and co-produced by John Singleton. ... Jackass: The Movie Jackass: The Movie directed by Jeff Tremaine was released on October 25, 2002 with the tagline Do not attempt this at home. ... Jackass Number Two is the sequel to the 2002 comedy film, Jackass: The Movie. ... Joes Apartment is a 1996 musical-serio-comic film starring Jerry OConnell. ... This article or section seems to contain too many quotations for an encyclopedia entry. ... Murderball is a 2005 documentary film about quadriplegics who play wheelchair rugby. ... Napoleon Dynamite is the feature film debut of director Jared Hess, based on his earlier short film, Peluca. ... Orange County is an American movie released in 2002. ... The Original Kings of Comedy is a 2000 stand-up comedy film, directed by Spike Lee, and features the comedy routines of Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Pootie Tang or Sine Your Pitty on the Runny Kine is a 2001 comedy film, directed by Louis C.K.. The film was adapted from a comedy sketch which first appeared on The Chris Rock Show. ... Save the Last Dance is a motion picture produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter, written by Duane Adler, and released by Paramount Pictures on January 12, 2001. ... Varsity Blues DVD cover Varsity Blues is a 1999 film about teenage angst in the fictional town of West Canaan, Texas that is engrossed in the local high school football program, and their winning-obsessed coach Kilmer (played by Jon Voight). ... The Wood is a 1999 comedy-drama-romance film, written by Rick Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd, and directed by Rick Famuyiwa. ...