
Chi-Raq
2015, Comedy/Drama, 2h 7m
149 Reviews 5,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Chi-Raq is as urgently topical and satisfyingly ambitious as it is wildly uneven -- and it contains some of Spike Lee's smartest, sharpest, and all-around entertaining late-period work. Read critic reviews
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Cast & Crew
Chi-Raq
Cyclops
Lysistrata
Irene
Ole Duke
Commissioner Blades
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Critic Reviews for Chi-Raq
All Critics (149) | Top Critics (59) | Fresh (122) | Rotten (27)
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Messy and nauseating.
February 9, 2021 | Full Review… -
Everything about Chi-Raq exudes exuberance: the movement of the camera; the West Side Story-style choreography of the two rival factions; the delight the actors display in tearing into their dialogue.
August 9, 2018 | Full Review… -
This is no mere thought experiment. Can satire stop a bullet? Likely not. But it can provoke those of us who haven't, and can.
August 9, 2017 | Full Review… -
It's a mess. But it makes an impression. Chi-Raq has the force of topical-art inevitability. If it didn't exist, you feel, someone would have had to invent it.
December 27, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
This overlong picture is already repetitive and unfocused by the second act; by the third, it has made its point a thousand times over.
December 4, 2016 | Full Review… -
Astonishing. Up there with Lee's very best.
December 2, 2016 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Chi-Raq
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Nov 23, 2016WIldly standoffish, incoherent and glitzy for the sake of being glitzy, Chi-Raq stands by a top form idea of political thrust only to fall lacklustre around a quarter of the way through. A film that definitely won't appeal to mainstream audiences, its artfulness is tremendous in approach to a seriously bleak issue that needs to be addressed. It's definitely one of the smartest films I've seen all year, it's just a shame that it's so hard to enjoy. Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Basset are both great in their roles and both maturely frame the story. It's similar to Baz Luhrrman's Romeo + Juliet in its style and Shakespearean in its epicness of story, however for enjoyment purposes I'd recommend other Spike Lee stuff.Harry W Super Reviewer
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Jan 30, 2016I guarantee you won't see a movie as unique as this this year. Probably Spike Lee's finest to date. With a very powerful message against US gun crime. With a definite and unique flavour, where everyone raps as they speak, this is very entertaining.Ian W Super Reviewer
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Jan 06, 2016Am I the only one alive who finds preaching offensive? Is there a secret school somewhere training these jokers, telling them that's its alright? As it is I find that I have to discover ways to politely extricate myself from those pathetically sad presences who rise every day with the idea of lacquering me with their sad thinking. I so disregard them that were they to approach with a sound idea I would not listen. And so the flaw in Spike's new joint: its preaching. Preachy. One stops listening nearly immediately.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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Dec 12, 2015An admirable failure. Essentially the problem is that the film clumsily moves between very broad (and mostly unfunny) comedy and really earnest emotional pleas for change without any consistency. It's hard to fault Lee too much for trying something so bold, but this movie simply doesn't work.Alec B Super Reviewer
Chi-Raq Quotes
Dolmedes: | Land of pain, misery and strife. |
Dolmedes: | Land of pain, misery and strife. |
Dolmedes: | Welcome to Chi-Raq! |
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