White Boy Rick.

A flashy yet respectable slice of shirttail-crime life in the Detroit boonies, White Boy Rick takes a stab at being Goodfellas in the 8 Mile vein. It is the chronicle of the rise and fall of "White Boy" Rick Wershe, Jr., who by the age of fifteen had been a pusher, peddler, gun-runner, informant, and kingpin in the 1980s. Newcomer Richie Merritt brings a sullen yet riveting energy to the title character, and he is surrounded by a stable of strong actors. Matthew McConaughey is excellent as his dream-big old man who's always chasing the next opportunity, Bel Powley is heartwrenchingly raw as his junkie sister (one of the most agonizing scenes of the year is when they literally drag her kicking and screaming from a crack den), Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie make brief yet sweet appearances as his grandparents, and the criminal element he involves himself with are well populated by familiar faces. White Boy Rick doesn't suffer from the bloat of a typical Scorsese rise-and-fall tale, but it does somewhat lack his frenetic energy as well. Think of it as more akin to the stately Kill the Messenger or American Gangster, only with more gold chains and bad mullets.