8 Mile

8 Mile (2002) — watch online on iFILM, a gritty drama directed by Curtis Hanson. Eminem makes his feature film debut as Jimmy Smith Jr., a factory worker from Detroit who sleeps in his mother's trailer and chases a spot on the rap battle circuit.

Jimmy lives just north of the Eight Mile Road — the dividing line that split Detroit into its haves and its very different have-nots. Days mean the assembly line. Nights mean stepping up to the mic at the Shelter club and dismantling a rival in 45 seconds flat. His friend Future, played by Mekhi Phifer, believes in him more than he believes in himself. Kim Basinger plays his hard-drinking mother dragging another man through the door. And looming across the battle stage is Papa Doc, Anthony Mackie's sharp-tongued opponent from across the divide.

The film shot on location across Detroit's real industrial blocks and clubs. Its signature track Lose Yourself won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2003 — the first hip-hop track to win the prize. The story draws directly from Eminem's own years growing up in these same streets. Watch 8 Mile (2002) in full online on iFILM.