Film Information
Set on one block of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy Do or Die neighborhood, at the height of summer, this 1989 masterpiece by Spike Lee confirmed him as a writer and filmmaker of peerless vision and passionate social engagement. Controversial when it was first released (the media publicly speculated that it would ignite violence), this masterwork that explores how racial inequality drives conflict in a predominantly African-American community remains as politically and emotionally charged and as relevant now as when it first hit the big screen.
Over the course of a single day, the easygoing interactions of a cast of unforgettable characters—Da Mayor, Mother Sister, Mister Señor Love Daddy, Tina, Sweet Dick Willie, Buggin Out, Radio Raheem, Sal, Pino, Vito, and Lee’s Mookie among them—give way to heated confrontations as tensions rise along racial fault lines, ultimately exploding into violence.
Reviews
"Spike Lee was 32 when he made [Do the Right Thing], assured, confident, in the full joy of his power. He takes this story, which sounds like grim social realism, and tells it with music, humor, color and exuberant invention. A lot of it is just plain fun." – Roger Ebert
Film Stills
