Before I Self Destruct (2009)

I saw this movie by mistake, I was browsing around, and started watching it from the beginning, thinking "the second this gets lame I'm turning it off". But alas, it was gritty, realistic and very engaging! A proper hood movie.

I never ever liked 50 cent, I always thought he was just this big mumbling beast, I never could figure out why people actually bought his records. I was full of prejudice before watching this one. REady, to watch something REAL if it looked like B.S.

Anyway, in this movie 50 cents actually acts. And when I say acts, I mean, he display tons different shades of emotion- him as well as his co-stars.(his brother, his mother, his hood friends down the street). And when I say he displays I'm not say he OVER-display, actually he's subtle.

The dialogs smell REAL from 10 miles, even the humor. Sometimes even unexpect great dry humor.

You feel really urban in this one.

The violence is realistic, and the feel is what I look for in a good Blaxplotion, I repeat a GOOD blaxploitation.

The only thing that's bad about this movie is the poster, which is really,really bad.

If this movie had another name attached to the directing/writing ....People would have taken this movie seriously.

Not because 50 direction and lead acting is bad CAUSE IT IS NOT. but because of the reputation 50 has: as a uni-emotional mumbling beast.

Had he used a pen-name for the director, and a pen-name for the writer, then this would movie would make all those "10 best hood movies" list. I have no doubt about that.

There's a scene when 50 cent had to shoot a gang member. There were 4/5 minutes of tension and suspense and fright, like I haven't felt in a long time in the genre. (this is due to the directing , acting, and location)

If the producers are listening, REMOVE THAT UGLY COVER, give a pen- name to the director and writer.. AND see this movie rise and finally take the proper CREDIT it fully deserves

if you like the genre I highly, highly recommend it. I'll def watch it again, like real, real soon.