Director Spike Lee hopes his latest film “Chi-Raq,” an adaptation of ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” looking at Chicago’s gun violence, will help make a difference in tackling the problem.

Based on Aristophanes’ play in which the titular character rouses women to stop the Peloponnesian War by going on a sex strike, the movie sees Lysistrata try to persuade rival gangs to lay down their guns by using the same technique.

The film is named after street slang comparing Chicago, the United States’ third largest city, to conflict zones in the Middle East.

Its trailer begins with a statement saying “Homicides in Chicago, Illinois, have surpassed the death toll of American special forces in Iraq.”

“We have to develop the capacity for empathy for people who aren’t like us, don’t talk like us, look like us. They’re still human beings,” Mr. Lee told Reuters, citing the example of a 9-year-old boy who was shot to death in Chicago last month.

“We have to care about human lives ... We should all be very angry about the execution of Tyshawn Lee ... It doesn’t matter whether his father has got gang allegiance or not. No 9-year-old anywhere on this earth should be shot twice in the head with a bullet, five shots in the body, executed.”

Musician and television host Nick Cannon and actor Wesley Snipes play gang leaders Chi-raq and Cyclops, respectively, while “Mad Men” actress Teyonah Parris portrays Lysistrata.

“Sometimes it’s good that audiences feel angry. Audiences felt angry after ‘Do the Right Thing’, audiences felt angry after ‘Network’, audiences felt angry after ‘Apocalypse Now’,” Mr. Lee said. “Channeled anger is not always bad.”

“Chi-Raq” took in an estimated $1.2 million from 305 theaters during its limited initial U.S. release on Dec. 4. As of Dec. 13, the film has grossed $2.1 million.

The film, written by Mr. Lee and Kevin Willmott, also stars Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.