Director: RZA
Writer: P.G. Cuschieri (Screenplay)
Starring: Shameik Moore, Demetrius Shipp Jr, Denzel Whitaker, Keena Johnson, Kat Graham, T.I. Terrence Howard, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Eiza Gonzalez
Plot: Set after Hurricane Katrina, four boyhood friends out of options reluctantly accept an offer to pull off a dangerous heist in the heart of New Orleans.
Tagline – Desperate times. Dangerous measures.
Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Cut Throat City starts follows four boyhood friends Blink (Moore), Miracle (Shipp Jr), Andre (Whitaker) and Junior (Johnson) who are living in the shadows of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, trying to make something for themselves, they must turn to a dangerous heist for Lorenzo Bass (T.I.) which goes wrong.
Once the job has gone bad, Blink, Miracle and Junior must work together to clear their debts, while detective Lucinda Benoit (Gonzalez) is trying to get to the bottom of the robbery.
Thoughts on Cut Throat City
Thoughts – Cut Throat City follows the four friends that are all looking to make something of their lives, with Blink being the one that has the most potential in the world with his artistic abilities. To make it in the city the guys will need to turn to crime, being the only way to make money, which will see them caught up in the middle of heist gone wrong, with the law and the gangsters looking to track them down. This does have strong performances throughout, with a young leading cast, filled with the experienced stars around them for the impact scenes. This does have the clear message about the divide between people in New Orleans, with the black poor neighbourhood not getting the supplies to make a fresh start in life after the disaster, being forced into crime to make ends meet. The location is so important for this film and the different locations tell us the stories of the characters and just what has been going on in their lives. The big negative in this film is going to be the length, as it does feel longer than it needs to be.
Final Thoughts –Great look at the impact of disaster on the recovery process not given to all.
