I really enjoyed this. At first, I didn't know what the fukk was going on. Everything seemed so random and bizarre, but that's Spike. It fell into a rhythm about twenty minutes in, and you realize that this is old-school black theatre. As far-fetched, over-dramatic and silly this satire is, it has a LOT pointed things to say about the things that contribute to the loss of black life. I really appreciate Spike doing something different here. This wasn't safe, it had problematic areas, and sometimes it didn't work, but most of the time it did. He used the tradition of old-school theatre, using farce, poetry, and operatic level drama to address current socio-political issues of violence, capitalism, gun politics, self-hatred, and police brutality. And a lot of this was funny. I was really surprised by the level of humor, and how well he balanced it with the serious message. Nick Cannon acted his ass off, I had no idea he could bring it like that. His lines
Jennifer Hudson was good, but sometimes overacted. Sam Jackson was funny and perfect for his role.
I did think it dragged a bit in some places, but Spike has never been a fan of editing. Once he gets on his soapbox, it's hard to get him off. And in that regard, I think the satire suffered a bit. Spike forgets that the play is supposed to deliver the message, and that he doesn't have to have his characters deliver the message. He would start beating the audience over the head with it in parts, but then he would pull back before starting in again.
Overall though, I found this surprisingly entertaining, and effective in delivering its message. I'm really shocked at all of the flack its getting, but I honestly don't think most of the people hating on this movie go see plays on the regular. Because really, Chi-Raq is a play caught on camera.
Two thumbs up.
