You might not know the name Terrence Howard going into the theater. But you won't forget it after seeing him in "Hustle & Flow."

A longtime supporting actor, and a very good one, Howard steps into his first lead role and delivers the performance of the year playing a Memphis pimp who wants to use rap to escape the hard scuffling life on the streets.

Written and directed by Craig Brewer, "Hustle & Flow" has been rightfully compared to "Rocky" in its story arc. That, of course, means the originality in the film has to come from the characters and the setting, not the plot structure. To his credit, Brewer has come up with a bunch of people we haven't seen before on screen, and by choosing the gritty side of Memphis has taken us to a place that movies haven't previously visited.

Howard's DJay is a low-level pimp, driving his top money-earning hooker Nola (Taryn Manning) around in an big old '80s car with no air conditioning. Rightfully enough, DJay is worried that he's on the way to becoming just another loser.

By chance, he runs across Key (Anthony Anderson), a high school friend who has kept up their shared musical dream — although he's doing it by recording church music and legal depositions. Inspired, DJay starts scribbling down raps about the troubles of the pimping life.

Convincing Key, who is living the middle class life, to join him, DJay converts a room in the house he shares with Nola and the pregnant Shug (Taraji P. Henson) into a makeshift studio. Key brings along a skinny white guy named Shelby (DJ Qualls). DJay doesn't want Shelby around initially, but he's a production whiz.

The goal: to make a demo tape and get it to Skinny Black (Ludacris), a local rapper made good who's coming home for the Fourth of July.

By the film's stunning final sequences, we're rooting for DJay, who is clearly trying to find a new way to live and pull himself out of the world of hustling. To Howard's credit, he creates a man in full. DJay's a pimp who heartlessly uses the women he lures into his stable. But he's not a violent guy, even when one of his hookers crosses him.

He's got some rapping talent and develops the drive he'll need to make it. And he learns to depend on others, first Key, then Shelby, then, in the film's most touching scenes, Shug, who sings background on the song that has to make DJay a star.

Henson's supporting performance is as strong as Howard's lead role. In just a few scenes, she convinces us of Shug's long-suffering love for DJay, and her thrill at getting to sing is palpable.

But it is Howard's electrifying work that carries the film —whether he's storming around angry, battling through the recording session or hustling for himself, DJay is a compelling, unforgettable character brought to life by an actor at the peak of his form.

The strong ensemble acting isn't the only reason "Hustle & Flow" works. Brewer paces the story perfectly. The music is very well done and the locations are realistic. That brings the film fully to life, creating a world that most people will never see while telling a story that has some very familiar aspects.

"Hustle & Flow" isn't as good as "8 Mile," the Curtis Hanson/Eminem film. But it comes close to that standard, making it one of the better rap movies ever. More importantly, it's the introduction of a powerful new star. Don't miss Howard's performance. If there's any justice, the Academy won't miss it either.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.

Hustle & Flow

Director: Craig Brewer

Stars: Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson

Rated: R (for sex and drug content, pervasive language and some violence)

Now showing: Grand

The reel story: Howard gives the year's best performance as a Memphis, Tenn., pimp who wants to use rap music to escape from hustling the streets.