DO THE RIGHT THING
Written, directed and produced by Spike Lee, this story of a few days in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn is riveting. There's no question that Lee is very talented and knows how to make films. The cast, in addition to Lee, includes Danny Aiello as the owner of a pizza parlor in a black neighborhood. He is terrific in that role.
There's Ossie Davis, who does a masterful job as the neighborhood souse. There's Ruby Dee. There's the character who walks around with his "ghettoblaster" radio, the three men who just sit on chairs and argue and philosophize, wondering how the Korean across the way, who has been in the U.S. only one year, owns a grocery store while they own nothing. . . each with his own explanation. And there's Lee as the pizza delivery man, and there are the pizza parlor owner's 2 sons. Every character is delineated perfectly.
Something, however, was missing. Despite everything in the film ringing true, what was omitted (perhaps because no answer is possible) was that Lee attempted no solutions to the story, to the riot, to the killing, to despite many humorous moments, the utter monotony of most of the lives.
An epilog contains a quotation from a Martin Luther King, Jr speech in which he condemns violence, followed by an excerpt from one by Malcolm X in which he says he is against violence, except in self defense, and the only way to overcome the oppression is in self defense.
Certainly a powerful film by a talented moviemaker.
Directed by Spike Lee.
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Copyright 1989 Ben Hoffman
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