Inventive ‘Chi-raq’ is an Authentic Plea for Sanity

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Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – A spotlight on Chicago, in the context of guns and violence, is never a good thing for the overall community. But using Chicago as a metaphor for all violent insanity, and making a plea for peace, is the purpose of director Spike Lee’s new film, “Chi-raq.”

It’s based on the Lysistrata effect, the ancient Greek play in which women withhold sex until their men stop war. Spike Lee takes that symbolism to the edge and through his unique cinema worldview. The film amps it up, becoming an original mash-up of Spike’s greatest hits – “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X” – all bursting at the seams with energy, creativity, audacity and at times pointed satire. This is Spike Lee’s best film in years, all because he went back to being Spike Lee, provocateur.

Chi-Raq the character (Nick Cannon) is a rapper, and as the film opens he is entertaining an audience with his beats. Gunfire erupts, as Chi-raq is also revealed to be the head of a Chicago gang (Purple Colors), who are warring with their rivals, headed by Cyclops (Wesley Snipes, Orange Colors). As tensions and gunfire escalate, a nine-year-old girl is caught in the crossfire, devastating her mother Irene (Jennifer Hudson).

Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) in ‘Chi-raq’
Photo credit: Lionsgate

The Englewood neighborhood community is enraged by the constant barrage, as emphasized at the girl’s funeral by Father Mike (John Cusack). The girlfriend of Chi-raq, Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris), decides to fight the fire with a sex strike, and her efforts finally gets the attention of the warriors. She takes over a national guard armory to further her plea, getting the city government and the world involved, as she her simple slogan reads, “no peace? [then] no piece.”

The film is narrated by a slick dude named Dolmedes, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in full Samuel L. Jackson mode, and the all-star cast includes Angela Bassett, Dave Chapelle, Harry Lennix and D.B. Sweeney (playing Chicago’s “Mayor McCloud” with marvelous chutzpah). All the roles cover the gamut of the guns-in-the-city narrative, representing generations of “black and proud” advocates, government inaction and neighborhood desperation.

When the trailer was released, with no knowledge beforehand regarding what the film was about, the first surprise was learning it was based on the Lysistrata legacy – since the film’s title is an ugly play on Chicago and Iraq (which has been problematic for the city). The film itself is a further departure from the trailer, going into whacked out and surreal areas that fit neatly into the Spike Lee playbook, familiar to his filmography. It’s like the bratty and defiant twenty-something Spike came back into his 58 year old conscience, and spat a message right back into the face of both complacent and vigilant Americans.

There are splashes of deep emotion, prideful generations (as represented by the Angela Bassett character) and weird, welcome humor. In some of the national guard sequences, especially a totally strange Lysistrata seduction of a military general, there are touches of “Dr. Strangelove.” The message in this film is wrapped in cinema art and exercise, there are so many hidden treasures to explore. And once the main point is delivered in the stark and affecting conclusion, it becomes a magical moment.

Dolmedes (Samuel L. Jackson) Holds Court in ‘Chi-raq’
Photo credit: Lionsgate

When there are risks taken, of course, not everything is perfect. The Samuel L. Jackson persona, while always welcome, seemed redundant and unnecessary at times. There were also some cutesy-poo moments that weren’t as effective, such the older black gentlemen who were most peeved about the sex strike. But when this film hits the mark – such as in the resounding sermon by John Cusack’s Father Mike at the little girl’s funeral – the result is a sparkling gem of truth.

I live in “Chi-raq,” and the problems are mostly economic…poor neighborhoods are left to their own devices, and most of that involves turf wars and guns. It’s a pathetic struggle, with few solutions (even money). There are Americans who revel in guns and glory, until the bullet pierces their opposing judgement. We need more empathy, and less itchy trigger tempers – give Spike a chance.

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com