Cadillac Records

“What d’ya want boss?”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some plantation owner”

“What da fuck d’ya want then?”

The above dialogue sums up the first meeting between sharecropper-turned-blues legend Muddy Waters and Leonard Chess, Chicago club owner and soon-to-be head of Chess Record Label. Chess and Waters are the subjects of “Cadillac Records” from writer/director Darnell Martin. Along with a stellar cast and soundtrack, the film tells the semi-true story of Chess’s famed Chicago record label and the struggle of introducing the music of its black artists to the mainstream.

Leonard Chess, played by Adrien Brody, is the not-so-typical lower-middle class white man who takes the plunge into the music industry with the sole purpose of recording the colloquial black man’s blues. Brody is magnificent in the role, portraying a man determined to flaunt his success with a high-profile lifestyle, buying his friends new houses, booze, jewelry, and, of course, the movie’s namesake: Cadillacs.

Complementary to Brody is Jeffrey Wright as the womanizing, ruthless, and somehow lovable Muddy Waters. Although it appears that Wright is mimicking the jowly facial expressions of Brando’s Don Corleone a little too closely, his believable performance shows his range as an actor—something his meager part in the recent “Quantum of Solace” did not.

Together, Chess and Waters—along with songwriter Willie Dixon, played by Cedric the Entertainer—begin to construct the Chess empire. Dixon’s voiceover, which opens and closes the film, serves as a narrative frame for the entire film.

Waters and Little Walter, played by Columbus Short, popularize a blues style that is copied by other artists, destroying their chances at mainstream success. Chess seeks out a different artist who can cross over not just in terms of style, but in terms of color, from country-boy black to white radio. He finds Chuck Berry, the guitar-slinging, pioneering rocker of “Johnny B. Goode” fame with only one vice: women. Chuck Berry, played by Mos Def, is soon incarcerated for his antics and Chess sets off to uncover yet another star.

This time, Chess’s salvation comes in the form of talented jazz/blues singer Etta James, played by Beyoncé Knowles. While Beyoncé’s voice doesn’t quite match the prowess of James’s in the classic “At Last,” she comes very close, and is reasonably convincing as a frustrated heroin addict. With James, Chess finally finds his key to crossing over, but with his growing fondness for her and her battle with addiction, he finds himself on shaky ground.

Casting Director Kim Hardin should be applauded for assembling a brilliant ensemble. Apart from the choice of Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf, the casting is perfect, and this solitary disappointment detracts only marginally from the film. Walker’s voice is spot-on but his presence and appearance just don’t fit the character of Muddy Water’s archrival. The musicianship throughout is remarkable: the actors stepped into their roles seamlessly and even recorded their own voices for the soundtrack.

The plot, while simple and slightly larger than life, is nevertheless entertaining and encompasses everything from love, lust, and racial angst to a great take on the blues and its road to popularity. The movie gives true meaning and foundation to the classic cliché of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. “Cadillac Records” just feels real: the violence is brutal; the passion is stirring; the move from rags to riches is just as easy as that from riches to rags; and the music is moving.