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Hustling Gangster Movies during the A to Z Challenge #monday #meme #atozchallenge
Monday, April 9, 2012 at 8:21AM 
“You take me higher than I’ve ever been, just to break me down into a thousand pieces. Boy, you make me wish I was a hustler, so I could move the weight off of my shoulders and I could run away...”
“Hustler” by Keri Hilson is such a stupid song -- but I kinda like it anyway. Screw the whole man/woman relationship vibe that this song oozes though, I'm going straight to the gangster movies, because nothing says Hustler like something along the lines of "Goodfellas," "American Gangster"or "New Jack City" and the list goes on. Since it's Monday and my turn to host following Dale at Smurfin' the Web's enlightening A to Z Challenge feature on the Batman franchise, this week's Monday Movie Meme theme is: Pushin' Weight.
Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies that feature some form of hustling -- from the street corner to the corporate office and everything in between. Anything goes here, drugs, money, sex, jewelry, cars, etc. it’s all fair game. Also, don’t forget to visit the blogs of other Monday Movie Meme participants and check out their picks for the week.
Here are my selections for this Pushin' Weight theme, as we continue the A to Z Challengen with an 'H' for hustling!
1. “We Own the Night”
Our favorite “Contraband” man, Mark Wahlberg stars in this movie alongside Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes and Joaquin Phoenix. The story is about a nightclub manager who goes undercover as a drug smuggler, to help the police capture a local gangster who tried to murder his brother. Truth be told, I only wanted to watch this film because Eva Mendes is in it -- LOVE her! I do, however, think it is a good flick overall.
2. "Belly"
Although I do not like this movie, partly because one of the real actors throughout the whole cast only has small, silly scenes to play in, the guys in here are some straight-up hustlers -- from the U.S. all the way to Jamaica and like the Jay-Z song goes...can't knock the hustle! The main characters, Sincere and Tommy are into a little bit of everything -- pulling heists and dealing drugs. One of the most talked about scenes features Tommy forcing one of his crime partners to strip naked, at gunpoint, to prove that he didn’t steal any money.
3. "Set It Of"
A group of friends working as janitors take a side job, robbing banks....talk about moonlighting!
4. "Fresh"
A 12 year-old boy from the projects uses his proficiency in chess to escape his life of selling drugs for a ruthless kingpin while also trying to help his junkie sister in the process. So yes, he's smart enough to play chess games but, yes, it takes him a while to become wise enough to realize that being a drug pusher is not his only option to survive and build a future for himself.
Oh, how I want to mention “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, but alas -- I already listed it during the previous Monday Movie Meme week, It’s a Fix.
Honorable Mention Song for today's 'H' post in the A to Z Challenge: Hustlin' by Rick Ross
Although most songs by Keri Hilson often get more play on my playlist, this particular Rick Ross tune fits in line with the overall image of a hustler -- selling drugs, betting on horse races, selling clothes and other merchandise on the side, so it's worth a mention.
If you never heard either of these songs, I've posted them in the sidebar for your viewing and listening pleasure!
What are some movies that remind YOU of hustling?
Who are YOUR favorite hustlers in film?
Reader Comments (3)
I'll always be partial to Heat, but another great huslin film is Menace II Society.
The *very first* film that I thought of when you mentioned "hustling" in:
- Super Fly: Second only to Shaft, but has one of the greatest soundtracks ever (love Curtis Mayfield!)
- Jackie Brown: Gotta hand it to Samuel Jackson, who can rock the do like no other
- True Romance: If for nothing other than Gary Oldman's ruthless character
- Matchstick Men: Very underrated Nicolas Cage film
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Hustlers trying to out-hustle each other. Classic comedy!
One of my favorite movies - Slumdog Millionaire. Lots of hustling going on in that movie!
Christine@
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