Michael Ledo
Coming off a well receptive original run from 411 BC Greece, Aristophanes' play lives on because of the universal themes it projects. Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) leads the women of Chicago from with holding sex from men until the gang wars stop and the men surrender their arms. They take over the National Guard Armory similar to the take over of the Acropolis in the original tale. Spike Lee maintained the idea of the divided chorus, but his version had more differences than similarities.In this film two gangs are at war: Trojans who wear orange lead by Cyclops (Wesley Snipes). They are fighting against the Spartans who wear purple and are lead by Chi-Raq (Nick Cannon). John Cusack plays a preacher/priest in the community. The dialogue is mostly poetic, much in a rap style. The issues go deep and is supportive of Black Lives Matter, painting everyone in South Carolina as racists. It is also anti-NRA and the politics of the film is the cause for both the love and the hate. Most of the politics is presented in a funeral eulogy delivered by John Cusack who wasn't poetic. Drugs are alluded to, but are not considered a major problem.Samuel L. Jackson plays Dolmedes who narrates the story and gives us the Greek background. Spike Lee has managed to find clothes that don't look good on Jackson as well as poetry he can't master. Lee also uses numerous Greek names in the film, including the gang names that were not in the original play. For instance Oedipus (Wade F. Wilson) describes an unhealthy relationship with his mother.Certainly worth a view for liberals. Conservatives will most likely be less enthusiastic.Guide: F-bomb, sex, nudity. Adult themes and language throughout.
svikasha
Spike Lee's 2015 satirical musical film "Chi-Raq" is a deeply provocative film. Consequently, the film is very polarizing and audiences will either love it or hate it. But that should not dissuade people from giving this movie a try. For one, the film stars a wide range of talented black actors including Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, Teyonah Parris, and Angela Basset. The versatile John Cusack is also present in this film as perhaps one of the few voices of reason in the film's truly chaotic setting: Southside Chicago. When most people think of Chicago, they probably picture the Magnificent Mile, the former Sears Tower, and iconic celebrities like Michael Jordan. But as the opening song of the movie poignantly states, for many in Chicago, the stark reality is: "Boy I don't live in Chicago. I live in Chi-raq". There were 7,356 murders in Chicago in the years 2001 to 2015. That's more than all of America's casualties in both Iraq and Afghanistan. For almost two decades now, the situation in many parts of Chicago has deteriorated into a situation that resembles a true warzone.War is not a unique experience. But the current situation in Chicago deserves some serious recognition from Hollywood. This is why one can't help but appreciate Spike Lee's creative take on "Lysistrata", an ancient Greek play that presents themes that are relevant to this very day. The original Greek play "Lysistrata" was written by Aristophanes, the legendary playwright from ancient Athens. Only eleven of Aristophanes original plays still exist today. These plays formed the foundation for ancient comedy and Aristophanes has been dubbed the father of comedy for his contributions to the ancient form. "Chi-Raq" is Spike Lee's modern take on the ancient play that was originally performed during the classical era of Athens in 411 BCE. In the original play, there is a main character named Lysistrata who attempts to persuade the women of Greece to withhold sex from their lovers as a means of forcing the men fighting in the devastating conflict known today as the Peloponnesian War to stop fighting. The Peloponnesian War is most notable among ancient conflicts because it was a conflict where Greeks broke their own religious beliefs and cultural taboos to wage total destruction on each other. The situation strongly resembled black on black violence today. The original Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta. In "Chi-Raq", the main conflict that Lysistrata is trying to stop is a never-ending gang war between two black gangs in Chicago, the Spartans and the Trojans. Samuel L. Jackson is ever-present throughout the film as Dolmedes, a narrator of sorts who seems quite amused at the events happening around him. Lysistrata essentially brings Chicago's men to their knees. At times the film can be too political and too satirical. The lyrics and rhymes can feel absurd at times. But the film brings up a lot of profound points. For one, it recognizes that the problem goes beyond Chicago. As Lysistrata's mentor and caretaker mentions, "It's not just about Chicago. What about Bodymore Murderland? Killadelphia, City of brotherly murder? Bucktown. Brooklyn, New York". It is easy to pick on Chicago when presented with the statistics, but gun violence is a national problem. The problem has just coalesced by wreaking havoc on the Windy City."Chi-Raq" is a worthy attempt at social activism. John Cussak delivers a solid performance as a priest who offers the wise words, "bullets ain't got no names. No eyes. That's right, they're just designed to take lives. Like they'' take yours soon, son. Three places you're gonna end up: County Morgue, County Hospital, or County Jail. The people downtown don't give a **** about you. You're in the system. You in jail. And you won't make bail. And it's privatized now to capitalize. No more insurance card, no more family to feed, you're hanging from a tree. You're not even costing them money. You're making them money. And Nobody's gonna hear your ****ing 'cause this is a new legal form of lynching". The film reminds the audience that the underground economy exists in Chicago because banks and government institutions don't want to loan money to poor people. This is widely evident by seeing the stark difference between downtown Chicago, with its pristine subways and high-rising skyscrapers, and Chicago's South Side where graffiti and deterioration rule the day. At the end of the day, an investment needs to be made to fix the poverty. "We go from third rate schools to first class high tech prisons". But this doesn't mean people shouldn't take personal responsibility. If there is one thing that can be taken from the movie, its that there is a war raging havoc on the streets of Chicago. As the Liberian activist and Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee said before ending the Second Liberian Civil War, "Look, if you have any power to put stop to the war, you go and do it".
hoosieraep
Important commentary on the reality of the inner city. I didn't care for, and just turned off, the nasty scenes with the sexual crudities and the insulting references to some politicians. Broke my heart to see the more tender scenes of broken hearts and broken lives, because that's the reality for many dear souls. May God help them! May we help them!
Nakhia
The movie is very empowering to women.It shows girls can be as powerful as boys. It's has a encouraging message of if people come together they can make a change. I think it's cool one of the actors talks directly to the audience. It really helps the audience get a real understanding of what's happening in the movie. The rhyming can be sort of confusing to some people, but it's pretty easy to keep up. I personally don't really like it because it gets annoying after a while. The actors are really good. My favorite actor is Father Mike. He was the best in my opinion. There is a lot of violence in the movie, but it does somewhat accurately describe Chicago. Bless.
