Do the Right Thing

[Vanilla]

Review/Discuss

[Jack Nevada]

The last four minutes really could have been cut out, but other than that its very potent.4/5

Edited July 9, 2013 by Jack Nevada

[Lordmandeep]

The end of the movie is quite revealing take on society...When people watched the film they were outraged that the black mob torched the Italian pizza place while everyone forget a black Guy was beaten to death by the police right before the scene.

[RobinHood26]

This is one of those movies I have no idea what to give. Im not sure if I love it, like it, or hate it. 

[CoolioD1]

Top 5 all timer IMO.

[Cmasterclay]

Brilliant, morally complex, and fascinating movie. Can't believe it took me this long to see it. Truly important and great movie.

[luna]

not a black anthem but not a condemnation of violence either. spike lee has all the manipulative chops without having the guts to go through with his convictions, or even to say anything much at all, and the result is a smug moral superiority. crass stereotypes populate the entire film, and the 'moral ambiguity' is ultimately a fatal flaw. compare with the revolutionary spirit of [the battle of algiers].

 

35/100

[Dementeleus]

^^ I really wonder how this film plays outside the US, because it's not remotely comparable to BATTLE OF ALGIERS. The movie's actually a comment of how we Americans view each others' ethnicity in terms of "crass stereotypes". What does "having the guts to go through with his convictions" mean, in terms of the movie?

[Jake Gittes]

Played to me as a terrific, aggressive exploration of racial tension with well-placed humor and enough great performances to fuel a half dozen films. I have no idea why it's supposed to have some kind of a "revolutionary spirit".

 

The only scene I'd do without is the one where Danny Aiello gives Turturro that big lecture, and I wasn't surprised to learn that it was Aiello and not Lee who insisted on that scene being in the final cut. Also, more people should talk about how stunningly shot this movie is. You can practically feel the heat and the humidity in your living room, the lighting and the colors are just incredible which makes DtRT stand out in a big way from your typical "gritty", stripped-down urban films. 

[The Stingray]

not a black anthem but not a condemnation of violence either. spike lee has all the manipulative chops without having the guts to go through with his convictions, or even to say anything much at all, and the result is a smug moral superiority. crass stereotypes populate the entire film, and the 'moral ambiguity' is ultimately a fatal flaw. compare with the revolutionary spirit of [the battle of algiers].

 

35/100

[luna]

they're not similar at all, but they both are about oppressed racial classes, which is an easy point of comparison. [the battle of algiers] is clear in its anti-colonialist politics, but [do the right thing] forces a moral ambiguity right until the very end, where we see two quotes which essentially state "was the rioting justified, or wasn't it? oooooh!" essentially, it has an aura of moral superiority without actually having a moral stance of its own.

 

i didn't like the use of stereotypes, no. for instance, the asian couple were typically typecast as annoying storeowners, and while the film criticises the african americans who discriminate against them, it doesn't fight against those stereotypes at all. actually, it celebrates them and plays them for laughs.

 

the photography was easily the best aspect.

[Dementeleus]

But surely you can see the difference between a colonial occupying power controlling the native people in a country versus multiple ethnicities (who're all citizens of the same country) struggling for respect among each other while cohabiting the same neighborhoods? None of the characters involved in DOTT were oppressed to nearly the extent of their ancestors (of those in Battle for Algiers), yet their identification with thoughts, believes, and prejudices of an earlier time lead them to self-destructive behavior. That's the very definition of moral ambiguity.

[DAR]

A great movie and an important though for me not Lee's best. A-

[Jake Gittes]

I don't know whether Lee's best film is this, Malcolm X or 25th Hour. All are excellent.

[Kvikk Lunsj]

Really good film. Well directed. A very important film for everyone to see 

4.5/5

[cannastop]

One of the best movies I've ever seen.

 

I don't have much to say about the content of the movie. but I want to say that I'm surprised that no one points out Spike Lee's acting abilities. He's good in the role he wrote for himself.

 

Also the final conversation between Mookie and Sal is perfect.

[cannastop]

On 7/9/2013 at 5:23 PM, Jack Nevada said:

The last four minutes really could have been cut out, but other than that its very potent.4/5

Wut? Why?

[Barnack]

Could be the best script ever, how much stake and tension are achieved without anyone being a villain/forced motivation at any point, is quite something.

 

The production design and overall direction is quite good as well, a classic imo.

Edited August 6, 2019 by Barnack

[SLAM!]

One of the best movies of all time. I don't know how it manages to balancr tension and poignancy so well. 10/10