Do The Right Thing
From the opening credit sequence of Do The Right Thing, as Rosie Perez performs a pulsing dance routine to the pounding beats of Public Enemy's landmark "Fight The Power," Spike Lee grabs you by the throat and never lets go. Do The Right Thing is a riveting, bold, envelope-pushing classic that's arguably the finest exploration of race relations in cinematic history.
However, mention Spike Lee's name to most people and you'll get a roll of the eyes and a tossed-off comment about how Lee is nothing more than an "angry black man" who's always harping on race issues. Never mind that most of these people have never seen any of Spike's films. If they had, they'd know that while Spike occasionally pops off with an idiotic comment or two to the press, his films are generally even-handed, entertaining probings of society.
In Do The Right Thing, Lee -- who also wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay -- provides us with a compelling cast of characters living in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. Oscar-nominee Danny Aiello plays Sal, a pizzeria owner running his business in a predominantly black area with the help of his sons Nino (John Turturro) and Pino (Richard Edson), as well as Mookie (played by Lee himself). During the course of this sweltering day (an element brilliantly conveyed by Ernest Dickerson's superb cinematography), many of the neighborhood regulars will enjoy a slice from Sal's Famous Pizzeria: Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), Buggin' Out (the excellent Giancarlo Esposito), the local disc jockey (Samuel Jackson), Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) and Mookie's sister Jade (Joie Lee).
As the heat rises, so do racial tensions. Buggin' Out isn't happy that Sal doesn't have any "brothers" on the wall of his pizzeria -- there are only Italians such as Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra. Sal responds that when Buggin' Out gets his own store, he can put some "brothers" up on the wall. Buggin' Out responds in turn that Sal's customers are virtually all black, so he owes it to them to put some African Americans on display. And so on, as the cycle of racism escalates until finally exploding in the film's shattering conclusion.
Do The Right Thing asks hard, unflinching questions about race relations -- and doesn't give easy answers. Virtually every character in the film has both positive traits and flaws, and you can generally understand their motivations, even if you don't necessarily agree with their actions (rent the superb 2-disc Criterion Collection DVD for a behind-the-scenes look at Spike and the cast discussing their characters).
Lee's direction is marvelous from one scene to the next. Watch in awe as Lee pulls off a brilliant scene where characters of different ethnicities take turns barking off a stream of racial epithets, climaxing with Samuel Jackson's insistence that everyone "needs to chill out!"
And if you still think that Lee's a racist, observe the care he takes in slowly panning across the devastated faces of Sal, Nino and Pino during the film's climactic scene.
One of the great aspects of Do The Right Thing is that you can enjoy it on a variety of levels. You could watch it in a History, English, Film or Sociology class and engage in scholarly debate over the explosive issues it raises. Or, you could get a group of friends together on a Friday night, buy a case of Miller High Life (Da Mayor's beer of choice), and enjoy the film for its crackling wit and humor (the "cornermen" have some great one-liners).
As Da Mayor tells Mookie, "Always do the right thing." In this case, that means getting your ass to the closest video store and giving this unforgettable film a chance.
Send any comments/ feedback to the author.
This classic flick could certainly be enjoyed stone-cold sober; however, the hardcore subject matter and often-hilarious dialogue go damn well with booze, too.
Although the gritty subject matter makes this a less-than-ideal date flick, the scene where Spike Lee rubs an ice cube all over Rosie Perez' naked body could provide some helpful inspiration for you and your date.
Buy this movie from Amazon.com
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