RZA on why directing 'Cut Throat City' was so important to him

Director and founding member of the legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan, RZA, talks to Yahoo Entertainment about his latest film, "Cut Throat City." The movie, which is about four friends who band together to pull off a daring heist in the heart of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, really resonated with the director. RZA tells Yahoo Entertainment, "It resonated with me because of these four young men with aspirations... and then they turn to desperations," adding, "I felt like I lived that story."

Video Transcript

- New Orleans, nothing short of apocalyptic.

- First they flood us, then they pushing us out. It's happened just how they want it.

- Why don't we talk to your cousin?

- That dude a gangster. He make me nervous.

- What the hell are we?

- We ain't no gangsters.

KEVIN POLOWY: How did "Cutthroat City" come to you, and what spoke to you about the material?

RZA: My agent, Cameron Mitchell gave it to me about-- really, seven years ago when the first screenplay got in my hands. And it resonated with me because of the story of these four young men, with all these aspirations.

And then they turned to desperations. The story within itself resonated with me because I felt like I lived that story.

KEVIN POLOWY: What do you think the film says about the link between poverty, desperation, and crime? I mean, it feels especially relevant right now as America does some soul searching on just how deep systemic racism-- just how deep systemic oppression runs.

RZA: Everything is about options. And I think the option for these young men was limited. And I think in the Black community, you know, any poverty community, right? Because poverty becomes the main factor of desperation.

You know? You know, even-- even a stray dog is quicker to bite somebody. You know what I mean? Based on the desperation that it's going through. And so I think the desperation of our characters, and in most cases, my community, the only option becomes a criminal act.

And sometimes that criminal act, I just want to say one thing about it, because you know, growing up, going through it myself. I grew up in it you know in the '80s with crack dealing, and weed selling was the criminal activity. And even though in one capacity, I gotta make a joke of this.

If you look at it in one capacity, I was a early guy in the pharmaceutical business. But since it's not legal, or whatever, because it's still entreprenurial, right?

KEVIN POLOWY: Right, right.

RZA: But it's not legal. So therefore, it becomes criminal. With that look at it, these guys-- in this story for me, these are not gangsters. One guy is a college-- he goes to Tulane. Anybody goes to Tulane, you look at him like, wow. Good school.

You know, one is a musician. You know, he thought he's going to be the next Miles Davis. No, maybe not. You know what I mean? Because opportunity.

KEVIN POLOWY: What do you think made New Orleans, specifically in a post-Katrina landscape, such a rich environment for a story like this, for a heist film like this?

RZA: The writer actually found a few articles during, you know, after Katrina, where you know it's a place that-- Louisiana is like one of the rare states that got truckstop casinos. After Hurricane Katrina, there was a bunch of guys in the Lower Ninth Ward, according to the police reports, that was robbing these truck stop casinos.

And so that inspired the writer to bring this whole story to life. So it's based on something that happened, and it's based on a situation that really changed the culture, and climate of a city.

We went into a lot of homes that was hurt by Katrina, that was you know, maybe refurbished. But they let us in, and that became our set. Look, New Orleans is a very unique place, in all due respect. It has such a beautiful culture to it. But is also pages of ugliness to it.

KEVIN POLOWY: The cast of this movie is absolutely stacked. You know, from your younger stars like Shameik Moore and denzel Whitaker to vets like Wesley Snipes, Terrence Howard, Rob Morgan, who just elevates everything he's in these days. Ethan Hawke, TI.

I love everything TI is doing in this movie. I don't even know how to explain why he's doing in this movie, but I love it. You got Spider-Man, Blade, Tupac, and Lucious in the same movie. I love it. How actively involved were you in the casting?

RZA: You know, as a director that's your job is to cast. And I was really fortunate to get such a great cast, and such a great group of people come into-- I'm going to use Rob Morgan's words, come play with me. He's like, I came to play with you, bro. You know what I mean? And it's a-- you know, it's an honor.

KEVIN POLOWY: There's a memorable exchange early on that I got to ask you about where Demetrius Shipp Jr. kind of breaks the fourth wall and kind of throws some shade at Quentin Tarantino, calls him overrated. I mean, you guys have worked together. I think you're friends, or were friends.

RZA: Are friends.

KEVIN POLOWY: You are? So that's what I was of some sort of playful ribbing there?

RZA: Yeah. Yeah, it was funny. So the idea of Blink, played by Shameik, doing his animation that's over the top in all reality. To be honest, like that was part of the dialogue. I think was more of a joke not on Tarantino, but a joke on me.

You know, when you look at "The Man With The Iron Fists" and you see that my style is over the top. Quentin Tarantino presents "Man With The Iron Fists." So it's kind of like joking on he's telling blink, you don't got-- everything ain't got to be over the top on some Quentin Tarantino [BLEEP].

This movie is not that. So it was more like me saying that for me fans, the people who was watching my work is like I understand that sometimes, you know, I bring out the big bells, but I'm, as a filmmaker, as a director, I can play this way.

And this-- and this way, I hopefully, you know, when an audience see this, and hopefully even yourself, Kevin checking it out, you can see that wow, RZA has found his voice.

KEVIN POLOWY: Oh, 100%.