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Do the Right Thing (1989) More at IMDbPro »

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194 comments in total

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50 out of 62 people found the following comment useful :-
That's the double-truth, Ruth, 24 May 2005

Author: Itamar Katz (itamarscomix@gmail.com) from Israel

In all likelihood Spike Lee's most important achievement - as director, writer and actor (though to my taste Mo' Better Blues is just as good a picture) and one of the strongest films you'll see about race relations, 'Do The Right Thing' looks dated at times, but it lost none of its impact and relevance. The movie takes place in a particularly hot day in a primarily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and follows the various personalities who live there throughout the day; the center of the story is Sal's Famous Pizzeria - its owners, some of the few white people living in the neighborhood: Sal (Oscar nominated performance for Danny Aiello) and his two sons (John Torturro and Richard Edson), and Mookie (Spike Lee himself), the black delivery boy. What starts out as a light, entertaining movie with some amusing characters and light humor, gradually builds up tension to the point of being unbearable, up to the dramatic and tragic climax. Spike doesn't put as much emphasis on the characters themselves as he does on the relationships and the tension between them; and in this image of a very specific and small frame in time and place, makes a strong and important message about racism and race relations in general. The film is populated with many different characters, all of them very memorable and each one a representative of a certain belief, mode of behavior or state of mind - on both sides of the conflict. From the uninhibited anger of Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) on one side and Pino (John Torturro) on the other side, to Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister in the film and in real life) and Vito (Richard Edson), who are trying to connect and live at peace with the other side, to Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), in his isolated but peaceful state of mind, living in complete peace with the world around him, and Smiley (Roger Smith), living in his own isolated existence. Then there's Mookie, who is stuck in the middle, torn between his commitment and responsibilities to both sides. Finally we have Mister Senor Love Daddy - played gorgeously by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson, in one of his finest performances - half active character and half all-knowing narrator - who represents the voice of reason in the conflict, the reason which is bound, ultimately, to collapse. Each and every character plays an important part in the climatic and dramatic conflict to which the movie builds up, and though it's the radical ones - Buggin Out and Radio Raheem - who trigger the events that cause the tragedy, they are not necessarily the ones who finish it. It is Mookie and Sal, in fact, who ultimately play the main part.

Do The Right Thing is not an easy watch; it's a mesmerizing, tense, difficult film that breaks many taboos and slaughters many holy cows. But in the end of it - hopefully - you'll be wiser than you were in the beginning, and that's what Lee have always tried to achieve in all his films. Watch it to get a real view on racism that doesn't duck the difficult issues and isn't afraid to tackle the real problem, and to see a master director at work. It's one of the best films of its time.

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19 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
There it is..... Love and Hate, 28 February 2008

Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

90% of Spike Lee's masterpiece Do the Right Thing is a perfectly developed character study of a wide range of model personalities who all happen to be in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer. What the other ten percent consists of you will have to discover for yourself.

This ingenious film explores extremes, but never gives itself over to stereotypes as its plot cleverly navigates through the politics of inner city life and the struggles of American racism. As an artful and intelligent examination of the ethics of violence and prejudice, Do the Right Thing is unparalleled. It implies a simple profound question - what is the 'right thing'? But steadfastly refuses to supply even a hint of an answer - appropriately leaving its central point entirely up to its audience. Instead, the film points to a different, perhaps more important question "Whose version of right is right for you?" There are a lot of good people, a lot of bad people, and a very realistic majority of people who are usually somewhere in the middle but also somewhat confused throughout this film. African American, Latino, East Asian and Italian American cultures form the dynamics of the relationships that drive the story, and conflict is their medium. Drawing from two incisive but different comments on violence from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Lee extrapolates his story and the ideas he wants to explore by showing us characters that are as real as they are exaggerated and somewhat unpredictable events that they create, are swept into or actively or passively participate in. Although the point of the film is not really critique, nobody is left unscathed.

I am not going to tell you what the film says - I can't, because it is, more than most films dealing in such a direct manner with the subject of race, open to interpretation. And what you bring to it will influence, but not determine what you take away from it. It is just that powerful.

Instead, I will simply give Do the Right Thing my highest recommendation.

Superbly written, edited, directed and filmed. Well acted (Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Spike Lee and Richard Edson really stood out for me) and very nicely soundscaped, Do the Right Thing is the perfect film for a solitary night of reflection or for sharing with an intelligent group of friends. However, be forewarned, the film hits hard, and will disturb some people a great deal - especially those who feel a need for closure and resolution.

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35 out of 55 people found the following comment useful :-
Spike Lee's best work! A mind-blowing masterpiece of cinema! @, 30 April 2001

Author: mattymatt4ever from Jersey City, NJ

"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)

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40 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :-
excellent drama with a message, 10 December 2004

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

If I had to make a list of the top ten things that I find most boring, racism would be right at the summit along with economics and The Blair Witch Project. For that reason, I have avoided Do the Right Thing up until now for fear that it would be a lecture on racism...but actually, I don't know what I was afraid of, as this film is really good. Spike Lee's racial drama is actually more a film about the feebleness of racial divides and how violence only breeds violence, as opposed to a film ABOUT racism. In fact, the film can be best described as a cinematic materialisation of Martin Luther King's famous "an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind" speech.

For this movie, Spike Lee has put together a terrific cast, that includes many actors that have gone on to become big names in the movie industry, people such as Samuel L. Jackson, John Turturro and Martin Lawrence, not to mention smaller stars such as Ossie Davis. The cast comes together excellently and the neighbourhood that Spike Lee has created for this film feels very real, and through the multiple personalities that inhabit it, it manages to stay interesting and realistic throughout. The atmosphere of the neighbourhood is also of note, and you really do get the feeling that someone could say 'biatch' or 'dogg' at any time. Spike Lee delights in showing us many different people, and at different times - including their reactions to certain events and their interactions with each other, and it all helps to build up both their own characters and the neighbourhood that they live in. This proves to be invaluable to the film as it has no real plot and therefore relies on the characters and the neighbourhood that it has created to build itself, it's scenario and therefore it's message, up.

Do the Right Thing is a portrait of how multiple cultures live together in modern day America and it also succeeds in being a stark and potent portrayal of how violence never gets anyone anywhere. Spike Lee has shown his talents as an actor, director and a writer with this film, and even though majority opinion of him seems to be that he's a disagreeable old crone; at least he's one that has talent.

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22 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
practically the definition of a must-see movie, 6 April 2001

Author: diffusionx from New Jersey, USA

I have heard people describe Spike Lee as a second-rate filmmaker; all I have to say is that second-rate filmmakers do not make films like this. Do the Right Thing is a masterpiece in both style and substance, and Im hard pressed to think of a more powerful, earth-shattering film.

But first, let's talk about the style. The color palette of the movie is wonderful; while its mostly deep reds, they manage to bring home the feeling that the residents of Bed-Stuy must have been feeling on that day. The cinematography is excellent... it features a lot of weird viewpoints and angles, but they are used to great effect and manage to work within the style of the film. One thing that really managed to impress me about the film is the razor sharp dialogue... each character has their own style of talking, and it really works well. This is a masterfully written film.

Now the substance... this movie manages to spiral into a truly spectacular ending. Throughout, its easy to see the necessary elements building, and, when it happens, it hardly seems like a surprise, but that doesn't make it any less shattering. The way that each character acts defines this movie throughout, especially at the end! Spike Lee does a brilliant job here. The movie is interesting and well-made throughout; each of the characters are three-dimensional and feel like real human beings - their motivation is understood throughout.

Do the Right Thing is a brilliant movie that never lags and never lets up. It manages to be vastly entertaining and vastly powerful at the same time. It's truly an amazing achievement in film, and its a shame it was not recognized more for its obvious brilliance when it was released in 1989.

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37 out of 63 people found the following comment useful :-
An underappreciated masterpiece, 20 April 2000
Author: Vlad W.

I find it a tremendous oversight that this film gets so little recognition. The American film institute couldn't find one place in one hundered American films for this cinematic masterpiece that pulls no punches . It got no academy award and most importantly I could not find one friend who had heard of it. I call this a tremendous oversight because the film is wonderful. I know that Spike Lee is a rather eccentric personality and is not well liked by everyone, but his films are brilliant and this is no exception.

For about the first two thirds of the movie the plot meanders around a section of New York City as the characters awaken and start their days. For this first two thirds we have a comedy that is funny because of the eccentric and wonderfully developed characters. The audience is pulled into the story by the rich dialogue and inventive cinematography. There is just some quality about this film that makes it seem so real. This all sets up for the imminent tragedy to be all the worse as a result of the connection the audience has with the movie.

Then the film explodes. Those who have seen it know what I mean and those who have not should see it. This last third of the film should not be explained, it must be experianced. In fact this whole film should be experianced. I can't say enough.

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17 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
A masterpiece full of sound and fury, 5 December 2001

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Do the Right Thing begins with girls dancing over the opening credits, and the dance is sure to make you laugh. It's extraordinarily dated, having been copied in a billion rap videos and even The Cosby Show, and, today, it seems very silly. As the film progresses, you're likely to notice dozens of other instances of severe dating that might make you giggle. Heck, if you didn't know that he was in it already, you're sure to laugh a little when you see that Martin Lawrence is in the film. Why did this dating happen? Well, simply because the film was so influential that other artists co-opted pieces of it all over the place. This would destroy a regular movie. Fortunately, Do the Right Thing is no ordinary movie.

This truly is one of the best films ever made. It's a masterpiece by one of the most talented and, unfortunately, most maligned directors alive. Spike Lee does not have the answers to the questions he poses, and sometimes I do object to the way he handles the situation. Sometimes I do ask the questions, when I am watching one of his films, "why does he have to be so angry about everything? Why doesn't he try to think these things out?" But I have great empathy for all emotions, and Lee is great at expressing his feelings on film. When I watch his films, I sympathize with what is happening.

Do the Right Thing is pitched at a feverish pace, and it's filled with enormous joy and, simultaneously, with enormous anger. This ambiguous mood is expressed most directly by the character Radio Rahim in a scene adapted from the great film Night of the Hunter, where Radio recites Robert Mitchum's "The Battle Between Love and Hate" speech. Immediately in the film we see that the races are capable of getting along. One black man is angry that Sal, who owns the local pizzeria, only hangs up pictures of Italian Americans on his wall, but no African Americans. Other African Americans find his objection somewhat ridiculous and respect Sal very much. Some African Americans object to a Korean couple who have successfully opened a grocery store on a certain corner, but others believe they are just savvy businessmen. On the other hand, there is a great amount of tension between the same races. Sal is basically a good man, but he has grown very hard and his temper is short. Radio Rahim walks in and, yes, rudely leaves his radio blasting while he tries to buy some pizza. However, did Sal really have to swear and order him to turn the radio off? Couldn't he, as Radio wonders later on, have at least said please?

Lee's feelings about the entire situation are clearly ambiguous. The entire film is felt deeply, and there is never any intellectualizing in the script. It is vitally important that Lee casts himself as Mookie, a young, shiftless man who works as a deliveryman for Sal. It is Mookie who has the choice of whether to do the right thing or not.

Perhaps some will be less forgiving about the film's late 1980s trappings. Even if they find it silly or unwatchable, I will guarantee that in 30 years, when the 1980s and even 1990s are far behind us, Do the Right Thing will be considered one of America's greatest films, as it more than deserves to be right now, in 2001. 10/10.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
The Boiling Point, 8 December 2006

Author: BroadswordCallinDannyBoy from Boston, MA

A scorching summer day brings racial tensions to their boiling point in a Brooklyn neighborhood. Seen through many points of view Spike Lee paints a convincing and critical picture of tensions in the most diverse city in the USA.

The film's strength is its ability to ring true to many sets of ears and especially if you frequent or live in a big city. You always here of events - big and small - on the news and there is usually that element of "racial tensions" or "possible racial motive." In a city where over 200 different languages are spoken (which can give you an idea of how many distinguishable cultures there are) it is only a natural ingredient for friction between people. Whether you hate the other guy, or are just annoyed that you can't understand him nor he you, when all you want to do is buy some groceries. This film shows many situations of this type and how everyone is, in a sense, innocent and guilty at the same time. If a situation gets out of hand and you have people throwing slurs at each other there is that famous expression: "he crossed the line." Well even with critical hindsight, this "line" isn't always visible and when it is, it's faint.

Spike Lee manages to show that very well and with a lot of diverse characters, hence the film being able to ring true with an equally diverse audience.

The only problem is that in today's America the issue is more about class and not just race, though race and class are intertwined. "Crash" presented the issue of class and lifestyle a little bit more thoroughly, but in the end felt preachy and unrealistically sentimental. "Do the Right Thing" is much tighter and the film's climax and overall impact is more powerful. Also of the note is the terrific acting from the entire cast. --- 9/10

Rated R for profanity and some violence

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19 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
Powerful movie- racially filled, 30 March 2005

Author: kgq1 from United States

Before watching Do the Right Thing many people told me that it was a really good movie, so I was excited to go see it. After watching it I have to admit those people were right. The movie showed a Brooklyn street during a heat wave in the summer. This block was mostly African Americans however there was a pizzeria owned by Italians as well as a grocery store owned by Koreans. The movie showed how different minority groups view each other. I found it extremely interesting during the montage of racial slurs to see that even groups who are harassed because of their ethnicity still do it to other groups. The end of the movie really surprised me. I figured there would be some sort of clash of the groups however I didn't think that it would explode the way it did. Another part of the movie which really surprised me was how the police were portrayed, as murderers and bigots. One scene in the movie which really stuck with me was when the fire fighters were trying to put out the fire and they used the hose on the African American rioters. This scene to me really showed how not much has changed in some sense since the 1960s. Overall I found this movie to be extremely well done and very powerful and definitely one of Spike Lee's best movies.

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18 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
A Mediocre Look at Serious Issues, 20 September 2000

Author: mcwebe0 from Lexington, KY

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Spike Lee's film "Do the Right Thing" is a daring, risky piece that looks at the serious social issues of race relations and violence. Unfortunately, Lee chose to tackle these issues in only his fourth ever film...his first for a major studio. Lee's inexperience shows. While the film is visually stunning, it lacks a cohesive story or a coherent plot.

"Do the Right Thing" is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) neighborhood of Brooklyn on the hottest day of the summer. Production designer Wynn Thomas and Cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson evoke the heat of the day visually with the use of various hues of red in costuming, lighting and scene painting. Particularly stunning is the bright red wall in front of which three neighborhood men sit all day and complain. The perceived temperature is driven up at least five degrees just through that use of color. It also provides a visual connection to the dissatisfaction and hate these men continually vent.

It would have been nice to see the amount of red on the screen change as time passes. By constantly bombarding the viewer with bright red, Thomas keeps the heat level constant. The only shot in the movie that increases the perceived temperature after the first five minutes is a shot of random people on the street with heat waves rising in front of the camera. Had the use of red been tempered early in the film and then allowed to grow as the day gets hotter, the audience would more clearly see the heat increasing and have a more visually fulfilling experience.

The film also has trouble establishing a coherent theme. The film's climax is particularly rich in contradictions. As the riot ensues Lee uses canted angles; fast, hard cuts; and alternates long shot and tight medium shot to make the viewer feel uncomfortable watching the violent acts that are taking place. The viewer can find no frame of reference from which to observe the action. This causes the viewer to be unsettled. Ordinarily this technique is employed to convey the idea that the action on the screen is wrong.

(minor spoiler)

As the riot comes to a close, however, the character Smiley walks into the pizzeria and hangs a picture of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. on the wall. As he does so, he is shot at eye-level in a medium close-up. Behind him, flames billow up creating a halo around his head, ennobling him. Smiley was one of the people who started the riot. By ennobling him, Lee ennobles the violence Smiley advocates. Is the viewer supposed to approve of the violence or disapprove? The film's conclusion is no help there. Conflicting quotes from Dr. King and Malcolm X provide the same contradiction. Is violence an acceptable means of dealing with racism? What is the viewer supposed to believe as a result of seeing the film?

A film that strongly conveys a viewpoint must be consistent. It is permissible for films to be ambiguous thematically, but when they are, they must be truly ambiguous to succeed. By conveying anti-violent and pro-violence ideas both effectively, Lee only causes the audience to be confused. Perhaps if he had more experience as a storyteller, his effort would have been more successful.

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