Watching it at the moment. Mixed feelings so far.
It's like the film equivalent of watching a grandparent trying to give a teenager advice, but he throws in slang, because he's afraid the teenager won't relate to him otherwise. There's always the chance it will come off patronising and confrontational.
There's been a whole generation born since he dropped films like 'Malcolm X' and I feel like this is the first time he's tried to address a 'millenial' audience directly. If he switches the setting of the source material to say, Ancient Egypt from Ancient Greece - instead of Modern Chicago, it's less controversial.
Maybe I'm being naive, but after building a legacy defending Black art and going at the Hollywood system, I'm just
at the thought that Spike would go out of his way to shyt on Black folk. Every director eventually makes a bad movie, but I doubt he's 'finished'.
As for the message, it's never going to be easy speaking on Black on Black crime, Small mercy, I guess, but I appreciate the fact that it isn't portrayed as existing in a vacuum and that there are root causes outside the control of the Black characters.
As a movie, I don't think it's among his best. Of his post-2000 work, I enjoyed 'Bamboozled' 'Inside Man' and even 'When The Levees Broke' more than 'Chi-Raq'. I don't think making the Chicago version of 'Clockers' really helps anyone either.
I do agree with
@NobodyReally when he said it took it's cues from old skool Black theatre, though - which is largely what gives it a different feel.
Sidebar:
Teyonnah Paris, though. Good God
