Do the Right Thing (1989)

I love this movie so much

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Excellent but underrated film

Don't Believe the Hype

"Do the Right Thing" (1989) is a comedic drama about racial tensions in Brooklyn, New York. There are several notable characters in this film, but Mookie, played by Spike Lee, has the spotlight. When I originally watched this film almost 20 years ago, I felt a sense of pride that the black community stood up. When watching it today, I feel anger in my compassion because I sincerely believe that had everyone spoke with a little more respect to one another, the tension would have been slighted resulting in an alternate ending. Overall, my emotions don't affect my opinion of this being an outstanding film.Spike Lee is an amazing writer and director that puts the hard truth on the big screen for the world to take notice. This film is the epitome of not only what was happening then, but what is still happening today. The acting was mostly spot on for the era and location, but the exception is Spike Lee himself. He appeared very stiff and out of place through most of the film, but it didn't detract from the message. His multiple uses of unconventionally canted shots added a complex level to the scenarios that adds tremendously to the story. Even though watching this film now hurts my heart, it is a classic that should be viewed by everyone, particularly those who need an inside look into lower class minority communities.

So Spike bothers to take us a on a somewhat shaky but interesting journey all the way to a finale just to make the point that whites are racists and blacks are sorely persecuted. Sorry Spike your quick quote from MLK at the end doesn't absolve you from making a biased and twisted statement on society. You made a near classic in Malcolm X but this dribble is your low.

My initial response to this film was somewhat mixed as I was perplexed with Spike Lee's intentions in the film. I was somewhat confused as to whether Spike Lee was trying to portray "the right thing" as anarchy, rebellion, frustration and disrespect due to the film's catastrophic finale as well as the many conflicts before. Throughout the film, there is also many questionable motives for characters that, as a viewer, I couldn't help but disagree with, from petty yet aggressive arguments in ethnic-owned convenient stores to buy batteries, to a scene where middle aged African Americans have racist discussions on the street corner. Morals and ethics in the film are somewhat blurry and ambiguous. But that's clearly the intention. On repeated viewings, I found the film to be asking the rhetorical questions of "what is the right thing to do?" and "what would you do in these situations?" This perspective for the film made it much more accessible and effective with its multi-layered narrative. There are many scenes where the viewer may disagree with the intentions of the characters, or may simply not. The film's protagonist - and for the majority of the film, its middle-man - Mookie (played naturally by the film's director, Spike Lee), tries to bridge the gap between tension in many of the scenes, from the local pizzeria's owner's eldest son's abusive relationship with his younger brother to the volatile relationship between the pizzeria owner, Sal (a fantastic performance from Danny Aiello, ranging from endearing to aggressive) and a customer who requests for more photographs of black people on the walls of the business.The film is based on the hottest day on Brooklyn streets as many of the locals take the time to enjoy themselves on such a scorching Summer's day, with the main focus on Mookie, an intelligent yet somewhat slack pizza deliverer for the local pizzeria. Many scenarios in the film portray conflicting perspectives of the locals in the area and in the middle of much of it is Mookie or acquaintances of his. These characters are written as independent thinkers as each one is doing "the right thing," or at least their definition of it, which may conflict with another's definition of it. The film therefore encapsulates the subjectivity of morals - what is right and what is wrong, exactly?It's a fascinatingly told narrative that's full of late 80s/early 90s quirks, boom-bap hip-hop and funky editing and acting. The cinematography is ambitious, somewhat extravagant at times for its use of crane shots to tilted framing, but it works to deliver a somewhat hectic portrayal of a somewhat hectic day. Spike Lee shows his effortless ability to direct and write such an exciting yet complex story in this late 80s black-cinema classic. I would recommend it highly and I would also recommend re-watching it frequently. Watching this with others would also invite debate over the film's representation of morality. It's definitely a powerful piece of cinema and will leave you contemplating what exactly you watched and whether it was "the right thing."

A must see movie, I just finished watching it and what I want to do more than anything right now is to rewind it and watch it again.This movie stars/written/directed by Spike Lee and a cast of terrific actors. The movie takes place in Brooklyn on an extremely hot day. Racism is a main theme of the movie between African American, Asian, Italian American and Latino cultures and personalities. The narrative never gets too preachy, which I applaud Spike Lee for constructing especially since the topic is as heavy as racism, all the characters feel very real and well rounded no one is painted as good or evil, they're all grey characters that are living their life as best as they can. The editing is extremely well done, It's a very fast-paced without a single boring scene.The movie is an overall fun movie with great humour that still carries an important message of "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".