Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing, a groundbreaking film from the esteemed director, Spike Lee, was released in 1989, featuring an ensemble cast that included Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee. This influential film set in a Brooklyn neighborhood during the sweltering days of summer is as much a character study as it is a commentary on racial tensions in America. Spike Lee himself stars in the film as Mookie, a pizza delivery guy with an easy-going manner.

Danny Aiello puts up a strong performance as Sal, the white and high-spirited owner of a pizzeria located in an African American and Hispanic neighborhood. Sal’s Famous Pizzeria is a local staple, with most residents frequenting it despite some grumblings about its Wall of Fame that exclusively features Italian-American athletes and celebrities. Aiello's character is complex in his cordial rapport with the largely black neighborhood, which is understandably wary of the racial repercussions of this seemingly discriminatory symbol.

Ossie Davis stars as Da Mayor, an older gentleman who acts as a melancholy and often drunk local sage, adding a layer of authenticity to the neighborhood tableau. Despite his intoxicated ways, he consistently strives to maintain peace in the increasingly charged atmosphere. His love interest throughout the movie is Mother Sister, played by Ruby Dee. Both Davis and Dee couple their characters with heart, humor, and gravity, creating an intricate, lived-in aesthetic that effectively mirrors the diverse and raw realities of a city community.

Lee effectively incorporates a range of characters that presents a slice of life scenario from the era, providing a multifaceted perspective on race relations. Rosie Perez makes her film debut as Tina, Mookie's girlfriend and mother of his son. There's the three older men, played by Frankie Faison, Robin Harris, and Paul Benjamin, who spend the day commenting events in their corner of the block. And then there's Radio Raheem, a boombox-toting neighborhood resident with a love for Public Enemy's 'Fight the Power.'

As the plot unfolds, so does the heat, resulting in a slow-boil scenario where racial tensions, personal grievances, and cultural misunderstandings begin to simmer. Lee dramatically juxtaposes the mundane with the tense and the humorous with the tragic. The neighborhood, represented with authenticity and a mix of tangible locations and vibrant characters, is the true crucible of this narrative. All these aspects come together in a dynamic portrayal of a microcosm of 20th-century American society.

One particular strength of the movie is its dynamic use of color, made vivid by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson. His heightened color scheme, featuring warm reds, yellows, and oranges stands as a visual metaphor for the simmering summer heat as well as the escalating tensions within the neighborhood. The film's score, a jazz-centric soundtrack by Bill Lee, Spike Lee's father, further echoes the vibrancy of the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and heightens the mood of pivotal scenes.

Do the Right Thing is not just a film about injustices, but it also showcases the complexity of human behavior and interactions. It doesn't offer solutions but rather stimulates conversations about prejudice, violence, and community relations. This characteristic makes the film open-ended, interpretive, and very relatable even three decades after its release.

Spike Lee creatively uses humor, drama, anger, and tragedy to poignantly touch on racial conflicts, thereby showcasing his filmmaking prowess. The nuanced performances of the cast members, especially Aiello, Davis, and Dee, help bring Lee's vision to life. It is an enduring cinematic marvel that continues to resonate with its unabashed exploration of racial tension in America.

Despite being primarily set on a single block in Brooklyn, Do the Right Thing touches on broad, timeless, and crucial themes of social justice, making it a must-watch classic piece of American cinema. Through its riveting narrative and raw, palpable energy, this Spike Lee Joint continues to engross and provoke audiences, reaffirming its status as a significant cultural artifact in film history.