- Do the Right Thing is one of the few films I've ever seen that deals directly with racism in a completely non-patronizing way. It feels strange to be writing that, but it's absolutely true. Most films with strong anti-discriminatory undertones are either peopled with angels to be worshiped or devils to be vilified, and often both. In other words, characters so exaggerated that it's difficult to take them seriously. In the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, on the other hand, everybody has their dreams, problems, and prejudices. There are better people and there are worse people, sure, but the only true role models are Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Unfortunately, they aren't around to keep everyone else in line.
- In a staggeringly full ensemble cast, the focal character is a man named Mookie, played by the film's director/writer, Spike Lee. Mookie is a likable guy who works for a man named Sal (Danny Aiello) at a family pizzeria that hasn't changed nearly as much over the past 25 years as the neighborhood that surrounds it. In truth, Mookie is not the hardest worker, but he's hardly any different in that respect from Sal's sons, Vito (Richard Edson) and Pino (John Turturro). When he's not working, Mookie spends his time pestering his sister (Lee's actual sister, Joie), visiting his neglected girlfriend (Rosie Perez), or talking it up with the locals, all of whom have colorful names like Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito), Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn), and Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith). Maybe they inherited their titles from the older, wiser generation, represented by Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) and noble inebriate Da Mayor (Ossie Davis).
- So what's the problem, you may ask? Well, like many culturally interesting neighborhoods, Bedford-Stuyvesant has its share of racial tension. Pino, for example, is always seething because he's embarrassed that his family business is located in a black neighborhood. Buggin Out, on the other hand, wastes an impressive amount of activist energy focusing on scuffed shoes and Italian-American portrait galleries. Caught in the middle, naturally, is Mookie who doesn't want bigots like Pino or reactionaries like Buggin Out to complicate his life. As the film progresses and the day heats up, tempers begin to flare. Suddenly, minor irritations like Radio Raheem's obnoxiously blaring music are enough to convince Sal to go for his baseball bat. In turn, Raheem is all-too-eager to pummel Sal with his new four-finger rings that form the most unexpected homage to The Night of the Hunter that I've ever seen. Add in an odious cop (Rick Aiello) and some irate witnesses, and you've got the recipe for a riot that could destroy a neighborhood.
- So whose fault was it? Sal and Raheem started the tragic fight, but they had encouragement from all sides. One cop is to blame for a brutal death, and another (William Sandoval) tried to cover things up. And who was it that threw that trash can that started the riot? Everyone's favorite character, Mookie. I think the film's point is that everybody contributes to situations like this. When there's an eruption, even otherwise harmless people like those guys clowning around on the corner (Paul Benjamin, Frankie Faison, Robin Harris) are likely to jump in. So is the only way out to follow the sage advice of Dr. King and Malcolm X? Well, that's obviously a good place to start, but the best advice in the film may be from DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) who simply says "TIME OUT! Y'all take a chill!"
- I've been so focused on the complicated social messages contained in Do the Right Thing that I haven't even mentioned how well the film was made. With a camera that constantly moves in and out on these troubled Brooklynites, Lee's style and energy are immediately striking (to say nothing of his surprisingly good acting). The scenery, shot on location, floods the screen with tremendously bright colors and is impressively authentic. Even the sound design is interesting as it weaves together a full set of ambient urban melodies with the subversive theme music, courtesy of Public Enemy. It's a film designed in all respects to strike a chord, make you think, and wake you up. And it does.
- Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez both made their film debuts here.
