Slideshow
DO THE RIGHT THING
U.S., 1989
Directed by Spike Lee
Starring Spike, Lee, Rosie Perez, Giancarlo Esposito, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee
Approx. 120 min. 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. With stellar cast including John Turturro, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Rosie Perez, Bill Nunn, Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), et al.
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 (1989)
“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