The movie "8 Mile" creates an atmosphere that pulls its audience into a swirling, pulsating world of rap subculture on the streets of inner-city Detroit. Eminem chose his acting debut wisely with "8 Mile," which opened in theaters Friday. His character, Jimmy Smith Jr., is essentially a mirror image of himself, which allows him to channel his passion into the role. The story line is centered on Jimmy, a boy with an innate rapping ability who is struggling to escape from a poverty-stricken life and succeed in recording a demo album. Living in 8 Mile Road Trailer Park with his mother (Kim Basinger of "L.A. Confidential") and little sister, Lilly, Jimmy experiences great hardships that stand in the way of his success. The movie brings its focus to a typically unexplored world, and its scenes are so realistic that it picks the audience out of the theater and throws them headfirst onto the streets. Jimmy, known to his friends and fellow rappers as "Rabbit," is forced to return to 8 Mile Road after breaking up with his girlfriend, Alex (Brittany Murphy of "Don't Say A Word"). This road is the mental division of the lower-class city neighborhoods and the upper-class suburbs. Teetering on the edge of both sides, impulsive Jimmy channels his hostility into hip-hop, and this is the one stable element in his otherwise turbulent life.

Directed by Academy Award winner Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential"), the acting is superb and helps to create a realistic inner-city atmosphere. It addresses the many social problems that Eminem has surely seen in his own life, and does so with grace and tact. His battle against racism inverts the typical anti-black racism that is so widely popularized and makes the audience realize that discrimination can work both ways.

The film is at its most intriguing when the audience is taken onto the streets with Eminem's friends, Future (Mekhi Phifer of "Paid In Full"), lovable but oh-so-stupid Cheddar Bob (newcomer Evan Jones), Sol George (Omar Benson Miller of "Sorority Boys") and the intellectual, socially aware DJ Iz (De'Angelo Wilson) known as Frederick Douglass to the boys. Rabbit faces his fears and discrimination on stage in clubs, battling against other rappers to earn his dignity in black-dominated hip-hop. Future, the host of these weekly rap-offs, pushes Rabbit to make himself known to the world of Detroit rap.

The plot, however, is far from innovative, with painfully predictable developments in the story. His mother is in an abusive relationship, unemployed and somewhat alcoholic. His little sister is being neglected and exposed to the terrible violence and destitution that comes with living on 8 Mile Road. Jimmy's friend and girlfriend betray him. Jimmy himself is struggling to make enough money to survive by working at a nearby factory. The relationship with his girlfriend is a token love affair that seems to lack any purpose. After their first conversation, she tells him that she knows he'll "get a record deal soon, (she) can feel it," and yet she has never heard him rap. The clichd script becomes ridiculously obvious at times and taints the excellent acting.

Eminem's performance is natural and believable, and the situations his character faces are enacted realistically. Despite the plot's unavoidable predictability, the movie provides a captivating view into the inner-city street-rhyme world. The creative rapping that surrounds the characters throughout the story is entertaining and allows the audience to appreciate the talent necessary in such an industry. Eminem is smart to have chosen a mostly autobiographical role as his first acting job, and blows most other singers-turned-actors out of the water.