Do the Right Thing (1989)
About This Movie
On the hottest day of the summer, racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood escalate from banter to confrontation to explosion, centered on a Black community's relationship with the Italian American owner of the local pizzeria. Spike Lee shot in saturated colors that make the heat visible, and every character gets enough screen time to feel fully human. The film refuses to tell you who did the right thing, and that refusal is the whole point.
Why It's a Classic
Lee crafted a film that functions as a mosaic of an entire community, giving each character, from Radio Raheem with his boombox to the three men sitting on the corner providing commentary, genuine interiority and dignity. The escalation from simmering resentment to riot is handled with the precision of a thriller, but Lee makes clear that the violence grows from systemic failures, not individual villainy. Danny Aiello's Sal is not a racist caricature but a man who genuinely loves his neighborhood while remaining blind to the power dynamics embedded in his position. The dueling quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that close the film present two legitimate responses to injustice without endorsing either, trusting the audience to wrestle with the contradiction. Thirty five years later, the film remains the most vital American film about race ever made.
Fun Fact
Lee financed part of the film himself after studios balked at the script's ambiguous ending, fearing it would incite riots. The famous 'racial slur' montage, where characters from different ethnic groups hurl slurs directly at the camera, was improvised based on real language Lee had heard in Brooklyn. The film was shot during an actual heat wave in Brooklyn, and the cast's sweat was largely real. Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power,' which plays throughout the film, was commissioned specifically for the production.
Parent Note
The film depicts racial slurs extensively and deliberately, a racial confrontation that leads to police brutality and death, and a riot. The language is very strong throughout. The moral complexity is the point; viewers looking for clear heroes and villains will be challenged. Lee's refusal to condemn or condone the riot demands active moral engagement from the audience. Essential viewing for anyone interested in American culture, best discussed afterward.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1989
- Type
- 🎬 Movie
- Category
- Modern Drama
- Age Group
- Adults (Ages 18+)