Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is an extraordinary piece of filmmaking, examining so many different aspects of life in Brooklyn, New York in the 1980s. This film may be Lee's most renowned accomplishment and for good reason. The dynamics of all of the characters is the aspect of the writing that really fuels this story and provides for such an interesting and oftentimes terrifying narrative. Even though I wish the coherence of the story would have been more focused on, I really enjoyed this movie for the eye-opening and shocking scenes that prove relatable even in today's time.
Lee writes, directs, and acts in this film which to some people might be considered overkill, but he is able to excellently balance these aspects without giving himself too much attention. Despite Lee being 32 years old when this movie was released, he looks and acts like a young 20-something. His performance and storyline in this movie was undoubtedly the most interesting piece as that plot line is the driving force behind not only the racial tensions throughout but the fiery conclusion. Lee plays a pizza-delivery boy named Mookie who is caught up in his own drama while being the only black employee of an Italian-owned pizzeria. His portrayal of this character was amazing as he was able to deliver a solid performance of the lower-class worker while also being strong-willed enough to stand up for himself and be his own man. The setting of the hottest day of the year on this one street in Brooklyn was a fantastic choice by Lee, as it gives a physical and metaphorical meaning to how sweltering hot all of these characters get by the end of the story and its injustices. His direction is also another part that really impressed me, as he is able to interweave these multiple stories in a way that brings them together at the end. My only issue with this movie, however, is how the different characters' stories did not necessarily mesh well together until the conflict in the third act.
The character relationships and how they all interact with each other is very interesting to not only watch, but compare to similar dynamics of today. Even though not every single black or Italian person living in New York had this same experience in the late 1980s, this film paints a great look at many of the stereotypes and profiling between different communities that can become explosive. The contrast between Mookie's friends and the family operating the pizzeria was interesting to watch and see that even in low-income communities like this one, hate still runs excessively rampant. I also enjoyed the dynamics between the different age groups in this movie. The three men sitting under the umbrella and the neighborhood drunk held so many different views than characters such as Buggin Out or Radio Raheem, despite them all being black. Lee's trademark racial message in this film was that peace is not achieved through protest but through acceptance. Hate begets hate and violence begets even worse violence and the way that Lee was able to show this message was incredible. He was able to display the violent actions of the community after they had burned down the pizzeria and how it only contributed to the negative environment that was being built upon. I love how Lee is able to show the messages of his films, despite them being blatant with his use of motion graphics and oftentimes footage from outside of the movie's narrative.
Do the Right Thing is the epitome of rightful and racially-fueled filmmaking. With some fantastic performances and a frightfully-relatable story, this small-scale, slice of life movie has a bit of everything: humor, drama, and a haunting message. I would absolutely recommend this film, not only because of its interesting characters and message but also because of its raw yet stylized hip-hop direction.
My Rating: ★★★★
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