A short history of the seminal blues and R&B label Chess, whose musical influence can hardly be exaggerated. It has a lot to pack in, so the focus is mainly on boss Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) and his company's first star, Muddy Waters, played by the versatile Jeffrey Wright. It's a plus that Darnell Martin's film never hints at hagiography. Chess, a Polish-Jewish immigrant (originally Lejzor Cyzy) bribes DJs to play the records (then a common practice), probably burns down his club for the insurance money, and pays his artists in cars, presented as gifts, rather than royalties (hence the title). The artists are no angels either, especially pugnacious harp player Little Walter. The film touches on the broad sweep of musical change and notes the ironies (Beach Boys pinch Chuck Berry song; he goes to jail.) Berry and Howlin' Wolf (Londoner Eamonn Walker) play truncated roles, while there's no room at all for Bo Diddley or Chess's brother. The revelation is Beyoncé, making a belated appearance as Etta James. Since the actors are performing the music themselves, she has a head start, but this is a sassy and heartfelt turn: marginalised in the cod-Motown bio Dreamgirls, she's on full star wattage here and looks ripe for a lead role. The film is written and directed by Darnell Martin, a top TV director (Homicide and Oz included) since her sparky film debut, I Like It Like That.