Slideshow
DO THE RIGHT THING
U.S., 1989
Directed by Spike Lee
With Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito,
Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Samuel L. Jackson
Approx. 120 mins. 35mm.
Hottest day of the year at Oscar-nominated Danny Aiello's pizzeria in Bed-Stuy, with Spike taking his time delivering those pies. Often hilarious, profane (240 f-bombs) and racially provocative set of character studies until explosive climax.
Reviews
“ONE OF THE BEST-DIRECTED, BEST-MADE FILMS OF OUR TIME… the technical credits, acting and Lee's brazenly fresh visual style all work together to make a statement about race in America.”
– Roger Ebert
“Living, breathing, riveting proof of the arrival of an abundantly gifted new talent… Though the action is limited to one more-or-less idealized block, the scope is panoramic.”
– Vincent Canby, The New York Times
“Said more about the state of contemporary race relations, and with more complexity and brazen confidence, than any other film in the American cinema to date… Lee’s masterstroke was to deploy all the characteristics associated with an uncomplicated good time at the cinema—it’s funny, has an attractive cast and a marketable soundtrack crammed with popular hits—as a Trojan horse for incendiary political content.”
– Ashley Clark, Reverse Shot