There is understandably some skepticism from cinephiles about the prominence of Amazon Studios, as spending money on exciting new releases will inadvertently put more money in Jeff Bezos’ pocket. However, Amazon is also responsible for some of the best films of the past decade, even before they acquired MGM in 2021; it’s unlikely that acclaimed arthouse films like Manchester by the Sea, Suspiria, Paterson, Cold War, The Sound of Metal, and The Lost City of Z would have received the same exposure otherwise. Amazon Studios indicated they were interested in funding edgy films from auteur filmmakers with their inaugural release Chi-Raq, an unusual interpretation of Greek mythology that was written and directed by Spike Lee.
Lee may not have a perfect track record, but he’s never failed to make an interesting movie; even a “misfire” from Lee is more compelling than most other films. In the 21st century, he has released both masterpieces (25th Hour, BlacKkKlansman) and underrated titles (Bamboozled, She Hate Me) that went on to inspire cult appreciation. Chi-Raq suffered from its rollout, as Amazon only put it out in select theaters before putting it on its streaming service a few weeks later. While it didn’t earn any significant critical groundswell or cultural impact at the time of its release, Chi-Raq has held up as one of the most underrated films in Lee’s entire career.
What Is ‘Chi-Raq’ About?
Chi-Raq is a loose reimagining of the classic Greek comedy Lysistrata by Aristophanes, which tells a humorous story about anti-war activism in the Second Peloponnesian War. The film is set in modern-day Chicago, which has been nicknamed “Chi-Raq” due to the heavy amount of violence, which has become comparable to the war in Iraq. The bulk of the conflict is between two criminal gangs nicknamed the “Trojans” and the “Spartans,” who represent the main factions in the source material. Although the Spartans are led by the aggressive rapper Demetrius Dupree (Nick Cannon), who has also adopted the nickname “Chi-Raq,” his girlfriend Lysistrata (Teyonah Parris) has struggled to find a way to bridge peace between the gangs. After researching incidents in African history, Lysistrata discovers that there was a successful “sex strike,” in which women refused to engage in sexual activity with their partners until the warfare was curbed. Lysistrata sets out to do the same thing, and gathers the lovers of members of both the Spartans and Trojans to start her feminist movement.
Chi-Raq also borrows many of the stylistic hallmarks of the source material, yet filters them through the unique perspective that Lee has maintained in all of his films. While the original play was written with rhyming conventions and rhetorical questions that involved a chorus, Chi-Raq features characters that express themselves by rapping, and uses background performers to make up an ensemble chorus. Even the most expositional exchanges are invigorating because of the poetic prose that Lee has written, especially given the enthusiastic side characters he has chosen to include. Samuel L. Jackson plays an important role in the film as Dolemedes, an omnipresent narrator whose knowledge and insight into the ongoing situation is comparable to the role of one of the Greek gods. The film also features several extended music numbers, which show the different ways that the gangs have chosen to represent themselves through hip hop. Although hip-hop has been an important component of Lee’s work ever since his 1989 masterpiece Do the Right Thing, the activist movement that Lysistrata and her colleagues create features a style of protest art derived from more recent social causes.
‘Chi-Raq’ Is One of the Most Timely, Important Spike Lee Joints
Chi-Raq is an incredibly entertaining film that features the type of shocking comedy that Lee has always done well, but it still hits on important themes with a tremendous amount of respect. Some of the film’s best performances show the devastation caused by the loss of life and channel a real sense of rage about the ongoing situation in America’s streets. Jennifer Hudson gives a heartbreaking performance as Irene, a grieving mother whose child was killed during a brawl between the Spartans and Trojans; although she is devastated by the immediacy of the tragedy, Irene becomes an important part of Lysistrata’s group and serves as a mentor to the younger women. Also fantastic in the film is John Cusack, who gives an amazing performance as the local preacher Mike Corridan, who gives extended sermons about the importance of preserving the integrity of the community by choosing love over hate. Unfortunately, Chi-Raq did not receive the type of glamorous rollout that other Amazon releases have benefited from, because Cusack deserved to receive the first Academy Award nomination of his career for his role in the film.
There isn’t a single Lee film that isn’t timely in one way or another, but Chi-Raq has continued to age very well as an expression of frustration at violence. The film is not centered on criticizing just one party, as it explores how the limitation of resources and dominance of the police and military forces have caused the streets to turn against each other. There’s a lot of power to be found in protest art, but Chi-Raq has the intention of opening people’s eyes to the ongoing crisis that has engulfed the country. Although nothing less would have been expected of a genius like Lee, Chi-Raq may be among his most damning portrayals of modern America.
