(6) CADILLAC RECORDS with Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Gabrielle Union, Columbus Short, Cedric the Entertainer, Beyonce Knowles, Mos Def, Eamonn Walker, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Joshua Alscher and Q-Tip. Directed by Darnell Martin (Uptown Theatres).

TRUE-LIFE and fictionalised dramas about the early days of rock ‘n roll have been very popular lately. We‘ve seen Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, five different people playing Bob Dylan in I‘m Not There, and the fictionalised account of the Motown era in Dreamgirls. So this film, about the history of Chess Records isn‘t exactly a new idea in terms of a film project.

But it does look at a slightly different era.

The film starts in the early 1940s with Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright) working in the fields in Mississippi.

His singing ability has already earned him a reputation in his area, and some record producers come to record his voice. Hearing the result, he decides he could have a future as a singer and moves to Chicago.

Meanwhile Polish-born Jewish American Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) is starting his own music career, initially as a club owner and later as a record label owner.

The two cross paths, and Chess promises to make Waters a star.

From this point, things go very well for everyone involved: Waters notches up hit records, both he and Chess marry their sweethearts (Gabrielle Union and Emmanuelle Chriqui) and more artists are brought into the Chess label.

These include harmonica player and singer Little Walter (Columbus Short), bass player and songwriter Willie Dixon (Cedric the Entertainer) and bad tempered blues man Howlin‘ Wolf (Eamonn Walker).

But once Chess signs Chuck Berry (Mos Def), who introduces rock ‘n roll to the world, the company really hits the big time. But Chess‘s approach to finances initially thrills and later frustrates the musicians.

Rather than paying anyone salaries or royalties, Chess rewards success by buying the musicians either Cadillacs or houses, meaning they have nice assets, but no money, particularly as these assets are usually kept in Chess‘s name.

When Dixon dies in a gang fight (in one of many scenes showing how the musicians got involved in the sex, drugs and violence aspect of rock ‘n roll), without a cent to his name and his fellow musicians have to scrape together what little they have to pay for his funeral, they start to get seriously agitated.

Beyonce Knowles makes an excellent cameo appearance as jazz/ blues singer Etta James. Initially you think the appearance is merely to show off Beyonce‘s singing ability, but the way she handles a drug overdose scene shows she has genuine acting talent.

Brody, Wright, Union and Short are all very good in their roles, but the film lacks the special spark of films like Dreamgirls and Walk the Line.

It‘s certainly interesting, but not as entertaining as its predecessors.

But if you‘re interested in the early days of rock‘‘n roll and enjoy a good musical drama, then it‘s definitely worth a look.