Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee continues to convince me more and more of how truly talented he is, even though sometimes he may be considered cheesy. The theme he presents here feels current. In America, it is quite common for a black person to be shot just for holding a stick. Here it is presented magnificently - within the context of the street - which is portrayed incredibly vividly. Fantastic! (02/11/2016)

It's terribly difficult to make similarly committed work because it's a politically tricky and shaky subject. The thing I appreciate about Spike Lee is the tenacity with which he's been making films that affect the black community in some way for over 30 years. This early work, in terms of casting, soundtrack, and most importantly, the very balanced script, is a fascinating look at one New York "multicultural" street where a long-swelling conflict escalates during an extremely hot summer day. There's actually no one crystalline good or bad here, and that's what I liked best about it. 4.5 stars (05/24/2020)

Spike Lee’s first truly big film defined his attitude towards racial issues with a rather generic story about several wandering characters and one culturally different pizzeria that escalates the tension slowly and between the lines. At first it gives the impression that peaceful coexistence is possible, but the viewer is being constantly reminded of the historical roots of the opposite and is ready for a storm during which the surrounding heat will finally overwhelm the minds of the characters. Some of chapters are weaker than others, but as a whole, and as timeless testimony, it works great. Of the actors, the most interesting were the indomitable old man Ossie Davis, the restaurant-owner Danny Aiello and the traditionally explosive John Turturro. 85% (03/25/2020)

I don't know if Do the Right Thing can be considered a pinnacle film of the early period of Lee's work, but it definitely represents a typical picture of his interests and motifs that played a major role in his filmography at the time. Fascination with skin color and ethnicity, the emancipation of black people, inspiration from radical organizations like the Black Panthers, and above all, the effort to uplift the status and self-confidence of the black community in the USA. Spike Lee knows exactly what he wants to convey, and he is highly convincing in doing so. Unlike intellectuals and politicians with their theories about multiculturalism and the seamless coexistence of different ethnicities, he intimately knows the everyday reality of colored neighborhoods and the poverty of the outskirts, and he knows how easily sparks can ignite a powder keg. Streets heated by the sun, an excess of adrenaline that needs to be released, high unemployment, and the resulting sense of frustration and boredom, and then all it takes is a spark in the form of one aggressive fool, and the apparent idyll turns into hell in an instant. Just a few years ago, in densely populated neighborhoods of Los Angeles or Paris, after a minor conflict, riots erupted that led to the burning of extensive urban districts. This is exactly what Lee warns about, and if he had avoided activism and the transparent attempt to educate his fellow citizens (as the title suggests), it would have been worthy of a solid 5 stars. Do the Right Thing is much more of a drama than a comedy, but Lee knows how to lighten the increasingly tense atmosphere in a way that doesn't harm its dramatic component. Overall impression: 85%. (02/21/2013)