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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Spike Lee (written by)
Release Date:
30 June 1989 (USA) more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(54 articles)
The Sunday Movie Quiz
(From HeyUGuys. 14 November 2009, 4:01 PM, PST)
Entertainment Weekly Lists the 25 Best Soundtracks from the Past 25 Years
(From Collider.com. 3 November 2009, 2:34 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Spike Lee's best work! A mind-blowing masterpiece of cinema! @ more (194 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
120 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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 more
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Martin Lawrence's feature film debut. more
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. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mister Senor Love Daddy:
Wake up! Wake up! Up you wake!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Family Matters: Do the Right Thing (#2.16)" (1991) more
Soundtrack:
Fight the Power more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (194 total)
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"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)