Why Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing Still Matters – MovieWeb

Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee shook the world with the summer release of his 1989 drama Do the Right Thing. For those unfamiliar with the picture, Do the Right Thing follows Mookie Blackmon, an employee of Sals Famous Pizzeria, as he spends one hot summer day delivering pizzas throughout New York Citys Bedford-Stuyvesant Brooklyn neighborhood. While making his deliveries, Mookie encounters and interacts with the neighborhoods colorful characters in a thoughtful examination of race and class. However, despite Do the Right Thing being considered one of the greatest films of the 1980s (specifically the best film of 1989 by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert), the Academy Awards opted to award the Bruce Beresford-directed period dramedy Driving Miss Daisy, a less controversial film, with the Best Picture honor at the 1990 Academy Awards.

Among the films brilliant acting performances is Lee as Mookie, the late Danny Aiello as Sal, frequent collaborator Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin Out, John Turturro (another of Lees frequent collaborators) as Pino, Rosie Perez in her feature-film debut as Tina, and the late Bill Nunn as the unforgettable Radio Raheem. As is often the case when artists tackle sensitive subjects like race and violence, Do the Right Thing received high praise and severe criticism from critics for its portrayals of people of color, race relations, and a memorable ending that forces audiences to consider whether Mookie did, in fact, do the right thing.

With Do the Right Things thirty-fourth anniversary occurring on the thirtieth of this month, well examine why Lees Do the Right Thing is a significant film and why its themes and messages are still relevant thirty-four years later.

A prominent theme in Do the Right Thing is the relationship between law enforcement and people of color specifically African American males, and even with both sides feeling threatened by the others mere presence, their relationship is contentious at best. However, as the day marches on and the already hottest day in New York heats up even more, the police and civilians of Bed-Stuy become increasingly more agitated with each other. This agitation and stress eventually and unfortunately culminate in a riot between Sals Pizzeria and the primarily Black inhabitants of the neighborhood and before anyone has the time to process whats happening, Radio Raheems murder by members of the NYPD.

Related: The Best Spike Lee Movie of Every Decade

On July 17, 2014, life would imitate art when footage of members of the NYPD murdering Eric Garner, an unarmed Black man, via chokehold in broad daylight surfaced. The situation and its eerily similar circumstances were not lost on Lee as the filmmaker would splice footage of Raheems death with footage of Garners, along with scathing remarks against the officers involved. Despite the many claims of police brutality against African Americans being a thing of the past, weve all bore witness to many instances of such still occurring throughout the nation.

Most recently, the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020 reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and the I cant breathe rallying cry started by Garners murder. Despite the tragic and racist circumstances that have led to these notable references to Do the Right Thing, they have exposed newer generations to the film and its anti-racist themes and, thus, will hopefully contribute to our society doing better.

Do the Right Thing is regularly screened and studied in college and university courses thirty-four years after its initial release, thus solidifying its status as a significant piece of art. Moreover, this film and the rest of Lees career have inspired many generations of filmmakers notably acclaimed writer-directors M. Night Shyamalan and Barry Jenkins. AFI included Do the Right Thing in its 10th Anniversary AFIs 100 Years 100 Movies list at number ninety-six, and New York Times film critic Wesley Morris has cited Do the Right Thing as his favorite film.

Related: John Turturro's Best Performances, Ranked

The respected film preservation company, The Criterion Collection, has restored and re-released the film twice once on DVD in 2001 and again on Blu-Ray in 2019 to coincide with the films thirtieth anniversary. Additionally, Quincy Street and Lexington Avenue, the neighborhood where the film is set, was renamed Do The Right Thing Way in 2015 after Robert Cornegy Jr. pushed for the New York City city council to honor the film and its legacy with the initiative.

Do the Right Thing is objectively one of the most influential films ever made, and its status as such is primarily due to Lees thought-provoking script, masterful directing, and notable usage of Public Enemys Fight the Power. The film offered insights on controversial topics from a rarely heard or seen perspective and concluded on a somewhat ambiguous note, leaving fans and critics still pondering its ending. Whereas a film like Miss Daisy played things safe, Do the Right Thing was provocative and insightful, challenging its audience to consider their biases, politics, and environments.

While Lee has gone on to have an exceptional career with follow-up classics like Malcolm X, Clockers, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, Inside Man, and BlacKkKlansman, Do the Right Thing will likely go down in history as the auteurs finest work chiefly because of its themes, cinematography, and social relevance across multiple generations.

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Why Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing Still Matters - MovieWeb