Published via Ecency

(source: tmdb.org)

Some films become depressing when viewed after long time. And this can happen not because time made them lose their inherent quality, but because its subject matter, which was supposed to be relegated to history books, is even more relevant today. Do the Right Thing, 1989 drama written, produced and directed by Spike Lee, is one of those films.

The plot takes day in Bedford-Stuyvesant, predominantly black neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Nominal protagonist, played by Lee, is Mookie, delivery man in pizzeria owned by Sal (played by Danny Aiello), Italian American who has been servicing locals for twenty-five years. Mookie is good at his job, although is rather irresponsible in his private life, having made his Puerto Rican girlfriend Tina (played by Rosie Perez) pregnant. During one extremely hot day, Buggin’ Out (played by Giancarlo Esposito), local who considers himself a local activist, becomes increasingly angry over Sal having only pictures of famous Italian Americans at his wall and refusing to put pictures of famous black people. He starts with boycott initiative, but it goes nowhere, with locals happy with Sal’s services. Things, however, dramatically change during as the day turns to night and tensions escalate into physical confrontation, tragedy and destructive riot.

Do the Right Thing wasn’t the first film in Spike Lee’s career, but it was greeted by rave reviews and made him into one of the greatest celebrities of American cinema. It also established his reputation as the most prominent of all African American film makers of his time, as well as one of the most controversial. This was due to film’s plot, loosely inspired by real life cases of racial violence in 1980s New York City, being deemed too sensitive by some of potential distributors and, later, attacked by few critics for its potential to spur additional violence in real life. Those who actually watched Do the Right Thing, on the other thing, witnessed a work of immensely talented and passionate film maker who managed to channel the anger over the position of his community within American society into powerful combination of original style and uncompromisingly explicit (and potentially disturbing) content.

Do the Right Thing works because Lee has managed to recognise and use one of the most powerful tools of 1980s American cinema – music. Film features very good score by his father, jazz musician Bill Lee, and some great rap songs, including iconic “Fight the Power” by Run DMC, which is brilliantly used both in the opening titles that features Rosie Perez dancing, as well as leitmotif used by Radio Raheem (played by Bill Nunn), character that blasts this song on his portable music player wherever he goes. Lee also likes to experiment with various directing style, taking his inspiration both by MTV videos and Martin Scorsese, another great chronicler of urban America. This approach works especially well in the first part of the film, where the seemingly banal and unattractive setting of single city bloc during one hot day is made look and sound interesting. This is achieved through brilliantly cinematography by Ernest Dickerson, but also through the gallery of diverse, but often larger-than-life characters that reflect generational, ethnic and social diversity of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Those characters are portrayed by very good cast, which features some of the future great stars in their respective film debuts, like Rosie Perez and Martin Lawrence. But, one of the greatest performance is delivered by Danny Aiello as an old and seemingly wise man who has, unlike his son played by John Turturro, risen over racial prejudice only to succumb to it at the most inopportune moment near the end of the film. Another great performance is veteran Ossie Davis in the role of Da Mayor, local drunk and neighbourhood’s self-appointed moral authority who tries to woo an old widow (played by Davis’ real life wife Ruby Dee). All those characters are well-established in the first hour and half, before the real action starts in last thirty minutes. Lee directs film well and keeps good pace, although some scenes (like the one with too obvious references to classic 1955 film The Night of the Hunter or Mookie having sex with Tina) could have been easily left on cutting room floor.

Lee, like in many of his later films, was not hiding his clear agenda of exposing the unflattering reality of inequality and racial divisions behind the rosy vision of Reagan’s America as “shining city on the hill”. In Do the Right Thing, however, he also displayed respect for the audience and allowed viewers to draw their own conclusion. This can be seen in ironic title, which is contradicted by actions of almost all major characters who don’t do the right thing when they could have easily diffused the situation. Lee’s approach is best embodied in final titles that feature long quotes of two major African American leaders – Martin Luther King and Malcolm X – and their different views on whether the violence is justified or not. The viewers are left to draw their own conclusions. Two years ago events very much like those depicted in the film resulted in the prolonged violence, bloodshed and destruction on the streets of American cities, resulting in increased divisions of American society. The debate sparked at the end of this film is even more relevant than three decades ago and proper lessons apparently weren’t learned.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)