Do the Right Thing

I find it a tremendous oversight that this film gets so little recognition. The American film institute couldn't find one place in one hundered American films for this cinematic masterpiece that pulls no punches . It got no academy award and most importantly I could not find one friend who had heard of it. I call this a tremendous oversight because the film is wonderful. I know that Spike Lee is a rather eccentric personality and is not well liked by everyone, but his films are brilliant and this is no exception.

For about the first two thirds of the movie the plot meanders around a section of New York City as the characters awaken and start their days. For this first two thirds we have a comedy that is funny because of the eccentric and wonderfully developed characters. The audience is pulled into the story by the rich dialogue and inventive cinematography. There is just some quality about this film that makes it seem so real. This all sets up for the imminent tragedy to be all the worse as a result of the connection the audience has with the movie.

Then the film explodes. Those who have seen it know what I mean and those who have not should see it. This last third of the film should not be explained, it must be experianced. In fact this whole film should be experianced. I can't say enough.

I went to see a free showing of this film the other night, in light of recent events. Where a younger version of myself would have maybe shrugged and thought 'Well, this is an extreme depiction of reality', I now realize that it is not.

Do the Right Thing is a beautiful mix of comedy, great narration (what movie introduces an entire block of characters and makes you care about each of them?), intense dialogue and a very dark, grueling reality we live in, today. Not just in the United States, but everywhere in the world.

Unfortunately it cannot be fully called a historical drama yet. But hopefully, some day in the future we can watch this, have a chuckle and weep tears of sadness for the past in which racism, prejudice, bigotry and police brutality was commonplace. Until then: let's spread this movie out like a virus. It's been 30 years with hardly any change, the previous generations haven't been able to eradicate the evil that is racism. Let's do our best to make a difference.

As a non white or non black person my self I view this film from a different perspective as I can't relate to either community. I understand Lee's message and point in the film and even after 30 years after the release, it is more relevant than ever. But for the character of Sal, he is punished for standing his ground. Should he have racially abused black people based on their race, no. But should he have been given the blame for the death of a black man, no. If Raheem killed Sal, which is definitely what he was trying by strangling him, the black community in the film wouldn't have been guilty for his death and say he deserved it. All he did was brake his radio. Sal saying that he only puts Italian American people on his wall is completely justified as he comes from a Italian heritage. If a white man entered the restaurant of a black man and said put up pictures of white men that wouldn't be seen as right. And it applies for both races, just because he is a white man doesn't mean he should be punished. Mookie's decision to boycott the restaurant and allow for the rest to burn down Sal's restaurant has no justification. I didn't understand Lee's point, was he trying to make black people look worse of better? To me it only represented what Americans think of the black community.

Do The Right Thing is perhaps the best case study of racism ever made. Some people claim that the film perpetuates black stereotypes. Some people don't think. The black people in Do The Right Thing, like the white, Hispanic, and Korean people) exhibit all the unfounded fear and rage that stems from racism. The only truly stereotypical black man in the film is portrayed as an idiot. Buggin' Out sets the whole thing in motion because he is outraged that the local Italian-American pizza man Sal doesn't have any pictures of African-Americans on his wall. He spends the rest of the film trying to gain support for a boycott of Sal's. The rest of the predominately black neighborhood rightly views him as an idiot.

Spike Lee himself plays Mookie, the closest thing to a protagonist in the film. Mookie is a lazy delivery boy at Sal's who has a girlfriend and a baby that he doesn't support. Samuel L. Jackson plays the local DJ who is ultimately the voice of reason in the film. There are a slew of backup characters, nearly all of whom play important roles. Radio Raheem, Da Mayor, Sal's sons, Jade, and many others are vital to the film.

If I had to guess why some people don't like this film, I would say it's due to the fact that there are no good guys. There aren't even any bad guys. There is no one to root for because everyone is guilty. Spike Lee's magnum opus examines the deterioration of characters incredibly. You can feel the characters wearing thin as the hot day drags on and tension mounts. The only flaw of the film is that the subplot of Mookie's relationship with Tina flip-flops, but even that is for a purpose. Don't let the handful of vocal naysayers keep you from watching this indie masterpiece.

In all likelihood Spike Lee's most important achievement - as director, writer and actor (though to my taste Mo' Better Blues is just as good a picture) and one of the strongest films you'll see about race relations, 'Do The Right Thing' looks dated at times, but it lost none of its impact and relevance. The movie takes place in a particularly hot day in a primarily African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, and follows the various personalities who live there throughout the day; the center of the story is Sal's Famous Pizzeria - its owners, some of the few white people living in the neighborhood: Sal (Oscar nominated performance for Danny Aiello) and his two sons (John Torturro and Richard Edson), and Mookie (Spike Lee himself), the black delivery boy. What starts out as a light, entertaining movie with some amusing characters and light humor, gradually builds up tension to the point of being unbearable, up to the dramatic and tragic climax. Spike doesn't put as much emphasis on the characters themselves as he does on the relationships and the tension between them; and in this image of a very specific and small frame in time and place, makes a strong and important message about racism and race relations in general. The film is populated with many different characters, all of them very memorable and each one a representative of a certain belief, mode of behavior or state of mind - on both sides of the conflict. From the uninhibited anger of Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) and Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) on one side and Pino (John Torturro) on the other side, to Jade (Joie Lee, Spike's sister in the film and in real life) and Vito (Richard Edson), who are trying to connect and live at peace with the other side, to Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), in his isolated but peaceful state of mind, living in complete peace with the world around him, and Smiley (Roger Smith), living in his own isolated existence. Then there's Mookie, who is stuck in the middle, torn between his commitment and responsibilities to both sides. Finally we have Mister Senor Love Daddy - played gorgeously by the one and only Samuel L. Jackson, in one of his finest performances - half active character and half all-knowing narrator - who represents the voice of reason in the conflict, the reason which is bound, ultimately, to collapse. Each and every character plays an important part in the climatic and dramatic conflict to which the movie builds up, and though it's the radical ones - Buggin Out and Radio Raheem - who trigger the events that cause the tragedy, they are not necessarily the ones who finish it. It is Mookie and Sal, in fact, who ultimately play the main part.

Do The Right Thing is not an easy watch; it's a mesmerizing, tense, difficult film that breaks many taboos and slaughters many holy cows. But in the end of it - hopefully - you'll be wiser than you were in the beginning, and that's what Lee have always tried to achieve in all his films. Watch it to get a real view on racism that doesn't duck the difficult issues and isn't afraid to tackle the real problem, and to see a master director at work. It's one of the best films of its time.