Do the Right Thing (1989)

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer:

Spike Lee (written by)

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...

Plot:

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Plot Keywords:

Bedford Stuyvesant | Pizzeria | Korean | Street | Violence

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Danny Aiello	...	Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione
Ossie Davis	...	Da Mayor
Ruby Dee	...	Mother Sister
Richard Edson	...	Vito
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Buggin Out
Spike Lee	...	Mookie
Bill Nunn	...	Radio Raheem
John Turturro	...	Pino
Paul Benjamin	...	ML
Frankie Faison	...	Coconut Sid
Robin Harris	...	Sweet Dick Willie
Joie Lee	...	Jade
Miguel Sandoval	...	Officer Ponte
Rick Aiello	...	Officer Long
John Savage	...	Clifton

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:R | Portugal:M/12 | France:Unrated | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:11 (cinema release) | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Trivia:

Martin Lawrence's feature film debut.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Radio Raheem does his "love and hate" monologue, a shadow of the camera can be seen on him throughout much of the scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mister Senor Love Daddy: Wake up! Wake up! Up you wake!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Matters: Do the Right Thing (#2.16)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Fight the Power

Spike Lee's best work! A mind-blowing masterpiece of cinema! @

"Do the Right Thing" is a powerful, uplifting, visually stunning masterpiece. It's a movie that I can watch over and over again, and deservedly takes the Number 7 Spot of My Favorite Movies Of All Time. This was one of Spike's debut efforts, and until this day--the best one. Spike gives us an honest, unflinching look at the Bedford-Stuyvestant area of Brooklyn on the hottest day of the summer. He perfectly displays the racial tensions that go on between everybody from blacks to whites to Koreans. Yet he never gets preachy, which is one of the brilliant things about this movie. Some of Spike's best work is demonstrated in his shots of Radio Raheem, played excellently by Bill Nunn. RR doesn't say much, but he has this violent gaze which sums up his feelings without a word being said. Spike gives us some great angles of his face, demonstrating the pure rage brewing inside of him. He also has a great scene in which he sums up the meanings of love and hate, in Spike's trademark poetry-in-motion style. RR constantly carries around a boombox, playing the same song "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy. That song is one of the best musical themes in movie history, perfectly summing up racial tension among inner cities. This movie doesn't tell its audience that black people are better than others, nor does it say that Hispanics are, or whites, or Asians. It just gives us a raw look at what happens when we let racial quarrels get out of hand. We learn how sometimes it's appropriate to preach against racism, and sometimes we're just overreacting.

The cast is terrific, and they deliver memorable performances. I really wish Danny Aiello picked up the Oscar for his role as Sal, because that is definitely the pinnacle performance of his career and one of the best I've ever seen. Other noteworthy performances are by John Turturro, Ossie Davis and Giancarlo Esposito.

The film is put together with such fast-paced editing that it doesn't once get boring, doesn't have any low points. This is a gritty, memorable film that I wish can be considered more prominent in the eyes of the average moviegoer, because it really deserves great recognition for its unique, unforgettable style.

Spike definitely knows how to do the right thing.

My score: 10 (out of 10)