WARNING: Contains Spoilers!
One of the problems we face today is racism. It's a problem we've been facing for the last few centuries now. And it bothers most people like me. In honor of Black History Month, I'm going to review the movie that is so inspiring and meaningful to both black and white people, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. Featuring Danny Aiello, Rosie Perez, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Bill Nunn, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson (in his film debut), and the late Robin Harris (the creator of BeBe's Kids).
It's the hottest day of the summer in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Sal Fragonie owned a pizza shop that has been active for 25 years. Throughout time, Sal's neighborhood has changed due to the fact that most of the population has African Americans and Hispanics living in town. For a while, his neighborhood was an Italian neighborhood. Mookie (Spike Lee), Sal's delivery boy, is the voice of sanity and the face in the crowd. Mookie's friend, Buggin' Out, starts a complaint about the pizza shop not having pictures of black people on the Wall of Fame. That's where the fire ignites. Radio Raheem, another well known citizen, was told if he didn't shut off his obnoxiously loud boom box, he wouldn't get any service. And that's where Buggin' Out takes it from a slow burn to a fuel filled rage. So, he boycotts the pizzeria. With the hot temperature occurring, most of the citizens' attitudes flare until it gets out of control. The citizens then go to the pizzeria and try to take out their animosity on Sal. This is where it becomes to get intense. Raheem physically attacks Sal, and when the cops respond, they accidentally beat Radio Raheem to death. This bring the agitations of the neighborhood to a climax. They descend as a mob late one night on Sal's pizzeria. Sal and his sons were about to go home. The mob abused and threatened them. It was becoming clear that some members of the mob were itching to resort to physical violence against Sal and his sons. Thinking fast, Mookie, makes a desperate attempt to take the focus off the men and put it on the shop by heaving a garbage can through the window. The mob responded by destroying the pizzeria with Sal and his sons left unharmed. This represents the irony in the movie title. On one hand, Mookie does the right thing by saving Sal and his sons from harm. But on the other hand, vandalism is never the right thing. Audiences are left to determine for themselves exactly what the right thing is.
To me, this movie is very inspiring. It deals with the problems of racism. It still goes on today, unfortunately. The cinematography was very epic, with the angles being unexpectedly tilted and all. The part that stands out to me was Radio Raheem's story of love and hate, how the fight between those two never end. I was also blown away by the climatic mob scene (which by the way gets very intense and emotional). The depictions of the characters were so authentic, I felt the pressure building up in me. The characters' stories pretty much makes you think about their problems and desires to make the world a better place. This is the kind of movie that you need to take notes on and pay extra close attention.
Parents Guide: This movie is rated R. It has very colorful language and racist insults like the offensive N word. Around 240 uses of the F word. And there's some violence in the movie such as a boy almost getting hit by a car and a ruckus being started in the pizzeria.
Did You Know?: Spike Lee wrote the script in just two weeks. The lines of the corner men were ad-libbed. The title comes from the Malcolm X. quote: "You've got to do the right thing." James Earl Jones (Mufassa) was originally offered to play Da Mayor. There were 74 musical artists mentioned by Samuel Jackson's character including Little Richard, The O'Jays, and Marion Williams. This movie is included among the AFI's 1998 400 movies nominated for the Top 100 Greatest American Movies.
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