Do the Right Thing
| Year: | 1989 |
| Director: | Spike Lee |
| Writer: | Spike Lee |
| Cast: | Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, John Turturro, Rosie Perez |
The arrival of a major new talent and distinctive filmmaking voice - and not a minute before time.
Spike Lee makes you realise how much most of Hollywood is there just to sell shit (even if it's a mood or idea) with no real art. At his best, Lee's always had something to say; usually about the plight or urban black Americans, more recently about the nature of crime, friendship and the impact of drugs.
It's a day in the life of New York City, and with the soaring summer temperature, everybody's getting on each other's nerves. The racial melting pot of Harlem is ready to explode, and when it does, all hell breaks loose.
With Lee himself the kid in the starring role, it's a great ensemble piece and you can feel the spirit of a race in it rather than the hobbled-together-by-committee racial overtones you usually get in films; a corny litany of gangsta rap and other stereotypes written by a bunch of whitebread LA Jewish kids.
Spike Lee makes you realise how much most of Hollywood is there just to sell shit (even if it's a mood or idea) with no real art. At his best, Lee's always had something to say; usually about the plight or urban black Americans, more recently about the nature of crime, friendship and the impact of drugs.
It's a day in the life of New York City, and with the soaring summer temperature, everybody's getting on each other's nerves. The racial melting pot of Harlem is ready to explode, and when it does, all hell breaks loose.
With Lee himself the kid in the starring role, it's a great ensemble piece and you can feel the spirit of a race in it rather than the hobbled-together-by-committee racial overtones you usually get in films; a corny litany of gangsta rap and other stereotypes written by a bunch of whitebread LA Jewish kids.