Do the Right Thing

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I watched this movie for the first time last summer, and have been thinking about it a lot during this current period of protests. It is probably incredibly cliche to say it, but this 1989 movie from Spike Lee feels made for right now.

It takes place during one hot summer day in a neighbourhood in Brooklyn. You get glimpses into many different groups of people, and as the day goes on and gets hotter, the tensions between groups escalates. The violence that it sparks is shocking, and leaves you feeling pretty conflicted.

This movie looks incredible too, with really distinct settings all in one block/neighbourhood, and good use of colour and lighting to convey the scorching hot atmosphere of the movie. As a worn out video game joke would say, it really makes you feel like you are on a hot street in Brooklyn with racial tensions boiling over.

I think some of the acting is a bit over the top, and as Jess mentioned there is lots of screaming and profanity that kind of makes your head hurt. This is the only reason it loses half a star, since it is intentionally uncomfortable to watch. In a movie called do the right thing, no one seems to actually do that.

The thematic focus, which is not subtle, is the opposing philosophies of Malcolm X and MLK Jr. It doesn't tie a nice bow on it at the end, probably the farthest thing from it, but it does leave you with a lot to think about.