DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Writer/Director: Spike Lee Starring: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Bill Nunn, Samuel L. Jackson, Frank Vincent, Miguel Sandoval, Rick Aiello, John Savage, Martin Lawrence
It's kind of weird watching 1989's "Do the Right Thing" in 1997, cheifly because it still holds up today. Racism and bigotry seem to rule this country, and this is what the film seems to say. But what's amazing about this film, other than the fact that it does it so well, is that it is not preachy for a single second.
"Do the Right Thing" takes place in Brooklyn on the hottest day of the year. We are presented to a tiny microcosm of life, featuring all sorts of different races and cultures. Most are black, like the protagonist Mookie (writer/director Spike Lee), the militant hothead Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), the Goliath-like Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), the slightly senile old "Da Mayor" (Ossie Davis), and the witch-like Mother Sister (Ruby Dee).
But into this giant melting pot, we also get some korean store owners, a couple whites here and there, the white racist cops (Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello), some hispanics (like Mookie's girlfriend Tina, played by none other than Rosie Perez, in her film debut), and of course, the italian pizzeria owners.
The whole center of the place seems to be the pizzeria, "Sal's Famous," headed by, well, Sal (Danny Aiello), and also by his two sons, Pino and Vito (John Turturro and Richard Edson, respectively), the former being a racist who is constantly bitching about moving to the italiant neighborhoods, and explaining that black people like Eddie Murphy are "more than black." Also working there as a delivery boy is Mookie.
Observing the whole film is the 12-hour radio guy, Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson, cast as "Sam Jackson), who is constantly making comments, including a long speech on thanking basically every single black celebrity (although I don't remember hearing Rick James' name being mentioned).
The film plays like a pot of boiling water, eventually bursting and spilling over for a shocking and brilliant climax, and only being cleaned up a bit in the ending. For the first hour or so, we get the daily lives kind of thing, which is nothing short of fascinating and completely entertaining. It seems that in one way or another, everyone is a bit of a bigot or racist. Even the innocent white guy who accidentally makes bike skid marks on Buggin' Out's new Jordans ruins his innocence by saying that they shouldn't beat him up because he was born in Brooklyn.
The ending, as I said is brilliant, but also seems to be a precursor for the whole Rodney King riots. Not that it incited it in anyway, but just seemed to prophesize what would happen since America has never really been comfortable with its giant melting pot of cultures. What's remarkable is that it doesn't take sides at this event, where a lesser film would have.
"Do the Right Thing" acts as an observer of life, and presents it in the most responsible way. There's almost no way to remedy this huge problem, and the film presents no real way of curing it, other than that "we should all just get along" (they don't say it in this film, by the way). Even in 1997, it's the most accurate display of racism in America.
This was the first Spike Lee film I saw (I know, I know...), and it was absolutely amazing. Lee has an amazing knack for dialogue, and has the same kind of giddy use with the camera that people like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have. He wonderfully balances a huge ensemble cast, with some standout performances from himself, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, John Turturro, and Giancarlo Esposito (as well as cameos from John Savage and Frank Vincent), and presents a world that is never boring.
Also, look for Martin Lawrence in an early role as one of the many inhabitants of the little mircrocosm.
"Do the Right Thing" is a wonderfully engaging film, filled with brilliant satire, and a strong observation about a tumor in America which has been here since it was created. It's one of the best films of the 80s, as well as one of the most important.
MY RATING (out of 4): ****
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