Blu-ray review: RZA’s Cut Throat City

Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA returns to the director’s chair with Cut Throat City, a riveting crime drama set in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward in the tumultuous days following the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina.

The film follows four boyhood friends trying to make their way in post-Katrina New Orleans: Blink (Shameik Moore), Miracle (Demetrius Shipp Jr.), Andre (Denzel Whitaker), and Junior (Keean Johnson). They each have their own aspirations and schemes to make a living after their community has been turned upside down by the hurricane and the government’s subsequent disastrous response, and in their desperation, they decide to take an offer from the dangerous local gangster “Cousin” (T.I.), for a robbery job. When things go awry, the group is relentlessly pursued by both Cousin and the police, forcing them further into a downward spiral of crime and paranoia as they desperately try to set things right between Cousin and each other.

Based on a script by first-time feature writer P.G. Cuschieri, Cut Throat City employs a number of standard crime-thriller tropes but places them in a new and unexpected context. Post-Katrina New Orleans is a fascinating time and place to set an action caper and the film is a thrilling and often revealing look at how poverty, crime, law enforcement, and local politics all manage to feed off each other in ways that benefit a select few while leaving the majority to fend for themselves by any means necessary.

RZA has proven himself to be a skilled director in any genre, from the period-piece action mayhem of The Man with the Iron Fists to the dramatic comedy Love Beats Rhymes, and his unique style brings a tangible sense of realism to Cut Throat City, even as the action picks up speed.

Shameik Moore turns in a strong lead performance as Blink, a young artist trying to do the best for his family, and all of the main crew feel like a real set of friends, with all the highs and lows that sort of deep friendship often inspires. The supporting cast is also incredible, with a touching performance from Ethan Hawke as a grieving local politician, and a scene-stealing cameo from Wesley Snipes as Blink’s estranged father.

Cut Throat City arrives on Blu-ray from Well Go USA with a striking 1080p transfer that makes the film’s colorful palette shine, along with some worthwhile extras including a series of deleted scenes that help flesh out some of the film’s numerous plot points, and behind-the-scenes footage that demonstrates the collaborative nature of RZA’s filmmaking style.

Cut Throat City is out now on Blu-ray/DVD and VOD.