The vitals:
7:00 ~ Doors
7:30 ~ Black Is Not a Genre: PASSENGER 57

Already a household name in Black cinema by 1992, Wesley Snipes was still considered a niche draw by mainstream Hollywood until two films changed all that: WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP and PASSENGER 57. While the former made an indelible mark on the American lexicon, it’s the latter that had the bigger industry impact, cementing Snipes as a blockbuster lead and validating the bankability of the Black action star. Directed by former child actor Kevin Hooks (SOUNDER, AARON LOVES ANGELA), the film casts Snipes as a widowed ex-cop whose flight is hijacked by an FBI-detained kingpin and his henchpeople. Instead of a rote DIE HARD clone, what emerges is a taut thriller in its own right, elevated by an all-time standoff between Snipes and British villain specialist Bruce Payne. Snipes’ easy charm, skillful physicality (putting years of martial arts training to use in performing his own stunts), and serious acting chops announced his arrival as a uniquely gifted action talent. Equally praised was Payne’s unhinged performance, described by Empire magazine as making “Hannibal Lecter look like a social worker.” 

But, what also endures about PASSENGER 57 are its knowing nods to the Black audience—Snipes’ character getting mistaken for Arsenio Hall, the contemporary jazz score by BOYZ IN THE HOOD composer Stanley Clarke, that immortal one-liner (“Always bet on Black!”)—each acknowledging the importance of the moment. 

-Graham Cumberbatch

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