Chi-Raq (2015) on Netflix
In Chicago's Southside, the Spartans and the Trojans fight a gang war. Lysistrata, whose lover leads the Spartans, calls the women of both gangs to withhold sex until the men disarm.
- Netflix2.8/5
- IMDb5.9/1011,382 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Chicago's Southside is the ground of a running war between two gangs, the Spartans under Demetrius Dupree, called Chi-Raq, and the Trojans under Cyclops. Lysistrata, Demetrius's lover, sees the violence close up: a shootout at his concert, a fire at the home they share, and a girl named Patti killed by a stray bullet. She moves in with Miss Helen Worthy, a non-violence advocate, who points her to Leymah Gbowee's peace campaign in Liberia and the threat of a sex strike behind it. Lysistrata calls the lovers of both gangs to a meeting, and they pledge to withhold sex until their men put down their weapons. Women across the city and in other occupations join the boycott.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Chi-Raq (2015)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Chicago residents and city council members asked Spike Lee to rename the film, a portmanteau of Chicago and Iraq, and threatened to withhold his city tax credits; Lee called Mayor Rahm Emanuel a "bully" and several aldermen "bootlickers."
- Rapper Kanye West was supposed to star in the film Chi-Raq but dropped out of the production, possibly due to scheduling conflicts.
- Chi-Raq was the first original film distributed by Amazon Studios; the company partnered with Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate for a limited theatrical release and the film premiered on Amazon Instant Video.
- Dave Chappelle played the owner of a strip club in Chi-Raq, his first film role in 13 years, since Undercover Brother.
- Music supervisor Thomas "DJ Slugo" Kendricks was fired after it was discovered he was charging artists a submission fee to have their music considered for the film's soundtrack.
- Before the film's release, its November trailer drew criticism, including a Chicago Tribune op-ed by emergency physician Amy Ho, who argued that Chicago deaths occurring nightly in hospitals were used for entertainment.
