Before I Self Destruct (2009)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I think this is a brilliant film, yes i agree the visuals etc. are questionable...But that's not the way i am approaching this film, it shows us a very legitimate view of what life in the Ghetto can be like. The film gives you a good sense of emotion with a good attempt to try and put you in the place of Clarence, with the death of his mother driving him to revenge and then to participate in his new found skill of being a hit-man he turns from rags to riches and brings his little brother along for the ride. The fact that 50 cent is the producer gives authenticity to the film for those familiar with 50 cents history and the fact he actually came from Queens, New York and became involved in the criminal world.The film however is highly predictable, with a brother that is so clever its only a matter of time until we see Clarence get shot and Shocka take revenge.Clifton Powell fulfills his role quite well, but admittedly some acting is questionable.

Aspiring basketball player Clarence suffers an injury that puts paid to any hopes of sporting fame . Taking a dead end job in a grocery store he finds that living in the ghetto involves survival of the fittest and finds himself being dragged in to a life of crime I've got to confess here and now that I am not a rap fan . Most of my music collection is dominated by Celtic artists like U2 , Simple Minds and The Beta Band so I came in to BEFORE I SELF DESTRUICT with the view of watching it as a film in its own right rather than as some star vehicle for 50 Cent . The fact that the credits read that it's produced , written and directed by Curtis Jackson , the real name of 50 Cent perhaps tells you something The story starts with setting up the backstory of the home life and family background of Clarence who is brought up by his single mother and has an academically gifted 13 year old brother . Right away I thought I'd be watching a subtle feel good cinema verite style movie where Clarence becomes a role model to his brother while struggling against a brutal environment and what the film does very well for the first third is portraying the American inner city as a bleak nihilistic place without over doing it Then unfortunately the film blows it by having an inciting incident that takes the film in a new direction . This incident isn't exactly unexpected or shocking but it means Clarence starts becoming an entirely different character to the one we were introduced to at the start of the film and as you might expect the soundtrack becomes more prominent as if the film is trying to sell some tracks by 50 Cent . The ending is also so abrupt you'd think Jackson ran out of money before shooting was completed There's also an aspect that's already been mentioned on this page and that is the acting is rather poor . There's different kinds of poor acting in cinema . Loud OTT acting personified by the ham acting of Steven Berkoff and the opposite type of bad acting seen here - wooden acting . It's not so bad in the early stages of the film because you can get away with it in a realist drama to a small extent and claim it's naturalistic but when the film becomes more plot driven it becomes more noticeable and annoying , but I guess if you're trying to sell records then Jackson wasn't concerned too much about the cast

50 cent directed and starred in this movie because no one else would. The dialogue is terrible. The "plot" is disjointed. Narration was used very poorly. The sex scene was a joke. The target audience seems to be inner city youth and the message is to stay away from bad influences.I guess when one's music career is not going so well one may be forced to find other outlets for one's creativity.50 Cent has a lot to learn about film acting, directing, producing.....as a matter of fact, just stay out of it.To the poor souls who are considering watching this on Netflix:Unless you hate yourself, do not waste your time on this junk.

I am very proud of 50 cent. I found his acting to have improved greatly. I also found for this to be his first directorial film he did an excellent job in directing it. i love the idea of him bringing in new fresh faces in the movie. I felt these actors did a great job. i was impressed. the story line was great. i am patiently waiting for him to direct another movie. I find this movie to be realistic and many people will identify with the story line. It showed the struggles one has to go through in order to try to make it. It also showed sadness and sorrow. i highly recommend this movie to all to see.