"Whoa. Y'all take a chill. You got to cool that s**t off. And that's the double-truth, Ruth."

Do The Right Thing

1989; USA; 120 min.

Director: Spike Lee

Screenplay: Spike Lee

Music: various artists

Cast:
Sal - Danny Aiello

Da Mayor - Ossie Davis

Mother Sister - Ruby Dee
Vito - Richard Edson

Buggin Out - Giancarlo Esposito

Mookie - Spike Lee

Radio Raheem - Bill Nunn

Pino - John Tuturro

ML - Paul Benjamin

I knew that "Do The Right Thing" was going to be an interesting film from the day that we saw the opening credits. The opening credits feature a woman dancing suggestively and powerfully in an urban setting. This sets up the image of strong female characters present in the film. "Do The Right Thing" is a film about Bed-Stuy and the people that live there. The plot unfolds and reveals racial tensions in the neighborhood between all different types of people. The story mainly follows around Mookie, who is played by Spike Lee himself. Mookie is employed is Sal's Pizzeria, the site of many of the problems that arise in the film. Eventually, all of the racism ends up in (SPOILER ALERT) a fatal attack on Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn).

Spike Lee forces the viewers to recognize any racist aspects of themselves. During a particular scene in which various characters are shown "breaking the fourth wall" and talking directly to the camera, stereotypical racist views are expressed. These stereotypes are extremes. When we watched this part in class, you could hear a few laughs at random times. Lee tries to make you uncomfortable, and I think that he succeeds. I found the racial aspect of this movie to be extremely upsetting. Hopefully, the issues in the film are just products of their time. Hopefully, racism like this doesn't exist today. Hopefully, people have learned. Now for a few of my observations while watching the film:

- The police beating sticks cross like a crucifix when Radio Raheem is attacked. Is this an allusion to Jesus?

- After the attack by the police on Radio Raheem, you can see the sign that says "heroes" in the background. Despite the fact that this label literally applies to sandwiches served at Sal's, is Radio Raheem considered to be a "hero?" 

- When Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) finally changes her attitude towards Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), a light goes on in the background. Is this realization symbolic?

Lee's cinematography is quite interesting. He uses numerous canted (or Dutch) angles to demonstrate the characters' skewed views. Close-ups are omnipresent in this film. These shots try to connect you with the characters in the film. I love the background in the film and the bright colors that the characters wear. Everything in this film seems to be realistic, disturbingly so at times. I like the motif of famous African American figures in this film, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. The way that the film ends with two of their quotes is an interesting way to finish the turbulent film.

So, what's the significance of the title? Who does "the right thing" and what is "the right thing?" Basically, no one in this film does the right thing. And when it comes to race, what IS the right thing to do? It's such a controversial topic that society stays away from addressing. Certainly, the right thing is not to hate and kill others based on their race. "The right thing" proves to be unclear at the end of the film - I guess "the right thing" is what you make it out to be. Reactions to this film are seen through the lens of the viewer's personal values, morals, and racial views. Yet, the viewers seem to be urged to "do the right thing"... whatever that is. 

I think that this film was important to watch. It teaches a lot about the effects of racism on a community. I would probably advise people to watch the film, as long as they knew how upsetting it was.

iRate: 3/5 pizzas

Trailer: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/14126/Do-the-Right-Thing/trailers