Spike Lee Responds to 'Chi-Raq' Criticism During Passionate 'Sway in the Morning' Interview: "This Film Is About Saving Lives"

"Let's focus on what the movie is about," Lee insists.

Spike Lee's latest jointChi-Raq​, starring Nick Cannon and Jennifer Hudson, hits theaters this Friday ahead of its Amazon debut. As soon as word of the project's initial development phase made its way into headlines, some started to criticize the film's method of addressing the topic of Chicago's growing epidemic of violence. However, as evidenced by his recent appearance on Sway in the Morning, Spike passionately disagrees with the unfounded assessment that Chi-Raq somehow "makes light" of all the lives lost to such violence on the city's south side and all across the nation.

"For those haters who have not seen the film, who felt that we were making fun of the murder on the streets of Chicago, let me ask everybody a question," Spike proposed during the must-watch interview. "Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were murdered in Chicago. Why would Jennifer Hudson be in a film that ridiculed her murdered mother, brother, and nephew? Why would she be a part of that?"

Adding that those "talking shit" don't know "what the fuck they're talking about," Spike likens the apparent controversy surrounding Chi-Raq to a "misdirection play" in football. "Let's focus on what the movie's about," the iconic director insisted. "Gun violence is effecting every single American in this country. This film is about saving lives."

Peep our review of the "urgent, cinematically gorgeous" Chi-Raq here.

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