Cut Throat City

The 2020 American crime thriller directed by RZA, with a screenplay by Paul Cuschieri, follows four friends from New Orleans' impoverished Lower Ninth Ward whose lives are upended after Hurricane Katrina. The protagonist, aspiring comic book artist James "Blink" (Shameik Moore), along with his friends Andre (Denzel Whitaker), Junior (Keean Johnson), and Miracle (Demetrius Shipp Jr.), face unemployment and a lack of opportunities. Desperate, they accept an offer from Blink's wife's cousin, Lorenzo "Cousin" Bass (T.I.), to rob a casino. The heist goes awry: one friend is killed, and the others become entangled with corrupt police officers, criminal kingpins, and politicians. The film features Ethan Hawke as city councilman Jackson Symms, Terrence Howard as crime boss "The Saint," Wesley Snipes as Blink's father, and Eiza González as detective Lucinda Valencia. The narrative delves into themes of social injustice, corruption, and survival in a post-disaster society, blending elements of drama, thriller, and social commentary.