Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Written and directed  by Spike Lee

Stars: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Joie Lee, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rosie Perez and Samuel L. Jackson

For the longest time, I wanted to see Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, because the movie was supposed to be a mirror to society's view on race relations. This movie was before the Watts riots, but the movie gives similar feelings from the Civil Rights Movement. The movie was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello. I feel like the movie gives the same vibe as Crash, which disappoints me a little.

Taking place during a course of a hot summer day, the protagonist is Mookie (Lee) who works as a pizza delivery man at Sal's Famous Pizzeria. It seems that everything is fine when Buggin Out (Esposito) notices that there is no black people posted on the Hall of Fame. He demands that black people would be put on the wall. When the temperature outside gets hotter, the tensions between the different races living in Bed-Stuy flares up. Peoples true colors come out to the surface.

Personally, I thought the reason for setting the rest of the movie's events into motion was kinda stupid. You are eating in an Italian owned restaurant. You have been going there all the time and now you notice that no black people were on the wall. Besides, it is Sal's (Aiello) business. He could do whatever the fuck he wants. This really irked me that that was the jumping off point to set into motion about Radio Raheem (Nunn) with his boombox blasting Public Enemy's Fight the Power or the random neighborhood kids trying to get outsiders out of the neighborhood.

For me, the movie was mixed bag. The final act of the movie was best part of the movie that I cannot spoil for those who haven't seen it. If the last part of the movie was stretched to rest of it, I would have loved the movie. It feels jarring to me. It tries to throw ideas at you to make you feel one way or another. I didn't like much of this movie from the beginning. I don't know what it is. I did not connect with it that I thought I would.

My Rating