"Get Rich or Die Tryin'" makes Eminem's rags-to-riches story in "8 Mile" look as sweet and innocent as "Cinderella" (which, amusingly enough, would make Dr. Dre the fairy godmother). That being said, 50 Cent's mediocre bio-film makes "8 Mile" look like "Citizen Kane."

"Get Rich or Die Tryin'" tells the story of 50 Cent's troubled childhood, growing up in the ghetto of New York and his violence-ridden rise to fame. After the brutal death of his beautiful, charismatic, drug-dealing mother, young Marcus moves in with his grandparents and soon realizes that life without his mom, or the drug money she used to buy him expensive sneakers, isn't easy or all that much fun.

Marcus joins the family business and starts selling pot on the streets around the age of 13. Marc John Jefferies, who plays young Marcus, bears an uncanny resemblance to 50 Cent and gets away with letting his tough facial expressions do most of the acting.

Soon Marcus is grown and pot has turned to coke. Coke soon turns to crack, which creates a sort of ghetto gold rush, and makes Marcus and his posse the golden boys of the neighborhood. Unfortunately for Marcus, nothing gold can last, as his life is soon rocked by betrayal, violence, jail time and the birth of his child.

50's story is compelling stuff. Unfortunately, the movie often loses focus. The cast is huge and trying to keep the storyline straight is sometimes hard, especially when the movie delves into a godfather-esque, hierarchy-of-the-streets saga that muddles up the middle of this epic length, two-hour-and-fifteen-minute film.

50 Cent does a great job of looking tough, which fortunately for him is all he is required to do for the bulk of the film. When asked to show emotion or say a line that doesn't also involve pointing a gun at someone, 50's performance is one-dimensional and uninspired. Although one would think it wouldn't be extremely difficult to play one's self in a film, 50 is awkward in front of the camera.

Terrence Howard is a standout among an otherwise forgettable cast. Howard, who got rave reviews playing a pimp in last summer's "Hustle and Flow," gives another electric performance as Bama, the ex-con who becomes Marcus' manager. His performance brings true talent to the screen and he remains a memorable character despite the fact that he's in less than half of the movie.

The voiceover narrations that Marcus does throughout the film often end up sounding cheesy, rather than reflective or poignant. These lines would probably have worked if 50 Cent had the acting skills to say them without sounding silly, but he doesn't. The fact that he can't talk without sounding like he has his tongue permanently stapled to the roof of his mouth doesn't help, either.

It seems that acclaimed Irish director Jim Sheridan tried to make up for weak points in "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" but comes up short cinematically by making the film overwhelmingly violent. Perhaps the movie is a fair portrayal of the gritty, kill-or-be-killed life of a gangster, but the squeamish may find themselves unable to look at the screen when someone is being shot, stabbed or tortured — which in this movie happens for substantial amounts of the time.

It's understandable that the film doesn't want to tiptoe around the issue of violence because violence is such a vital component of Marcus' story, but most of these scenes lack any sort of artistic flair and come off as little more than cheap gore.

Perhaps the audience would get an opportunity to actually connect with the characters if the violence weren't so omnipotent and distracting. Viewers barely get a chance to get into the emotion of the film because someone is constantly being beaten or shot at. The emotion in the scenes that are meant to be romantic or heartfelt, like the birth of Marcus' son, seems manufactured at best.

Another shortcoming is the incorporation of music into the film. Marcus' music could have been a powerful device to perhaps conjure up some sense of drama or climax in the same way "Lose Yourself" did in "8 Mile." This mega-hit provided Eminem's flick with a theme song and a rally cry. "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" lacks this type of device and its absence is noticeable. Marcus does give a decent performance at the end, but by this time it's too little, too late.

To give it some credit, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" is gripping. Although there is little character development and it's difficult to care about what actually happens to the various cast members, there are moments of drama that pull the audience into the story. Unfortunately, this drama is usually accomplished through cheap, violent suspense, rather than quality plot development.

While compelling at times, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" lacks the poeticism and true grit that made "8 Mile" more than the sum of its parts. Most of the characters are nothing more than clichéd and conscience-less stereotypes. Juxtapositions that are meant to be meaningful, like the intertwining of scenes from Marcus' birth and his near death experience after being shot, come off as hokey.

Although the film is good for a few cheap thrills, it is, at best, an uninspired vanity project.

Grade: D