Often considered the best film of 1989, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing sets the tone early with Rosie Perez (who plays Tina) dancing to Public Enemy’s song “Fight the Power”. It was rather interesting to learn that Lee was actually influenced by Ann Margret’s opening in Bye Bye Birdie (which has a very different vibe). In any case, what follows is a powerful, character driven dramedy that widely encompasses life, death, race, poverty and everything in between – all found within the neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Being a student of history, I have read quite a bit on the happenings of this locale during the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, including Robert Kennedy’s efforts to rebuild the area and help it thrive. Spike Lee’s depiction in Do the Right Thing miraculously captures both the good and bad, the unity and divide, the love and hate, as well as the complex set of emotions found in this compact neighbourhood – making it a wonderfully rich pastiche. The duality of the film is perhaps best illustrated by boom box carrying Radio Raheem’s (Bill Nunn) narrative reworking of the classic Robert Mitchum speech from the iconic 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter, in which he tells the two handed tale of love versus hate (this time using bling rings instead of tattoos). Likewise, the duelling quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that close the picture harken to the same complexities of living life within a complicated and diverse world.
Back on April 24th, 2016 at CAPE Cornwall, I had the pleasure of interviewing actor Brian O’Halloran, best known for his role as Dante Hicks in Clerks and Clerks II. He has also worked with director Kevin Smith in many of the film maker’s other works, including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, as well as numerous others. When asked about his favourite film, he almost immediately highlighted Lee’s Do the Right Thing as being a classic and one of his all-time favourites. Check out the interview below to learn more about his top flicks, working with Kevin Smith, his passion for hockey and many other things.
Spike Lee also stars as one of the leads in his ensemble cast, playing pizza delivery boy Mookie. He has a son with Tina and works for Italian American Sal Fragione (Danny Aiello), who has run his own pizza joint in the community for the past twenty five years. The restauranteur must manage the place as well as his overbearing and racist son Pino (John Turturro) – who despises Mookie, and his easygoing younger son Vito (Richard Edson) – who is fond of the delivery boy.
Samuel L. Jackson plays radio spin doctor Mister Señor Love Daddy, who can very much be seen as the motion pictures’ de facto narrator, as he observes the comings and goings of the multicultural district from his perfectly placed glass windowed studio.
Lee’s film works so well because there are so many little things at play that build to the apt climax. Buggin’ Out’s (Giancarlo Esposito) constant complaining about the price of pizza as well as the lack of African Americans on Sal’s ‘wall of fame’ leads him to run a boycott and protest against the honoured establishment. Though most dispute the man’s rants, he finally finds an ally in Radio Raheem, who has also gotten into a tiff with the owner over playing his boom box in the pizzeria.
The aging and slightly slovenly yet charming ‘Da Mayor’ (Ossie Davis) is a noble and sage character that is always looking to pass along his mature wisdom to Mookie and the others, though he is rarely able to gain their attention – a fitting commentary on society’s ignorance toward its elders. He is a voice of reason in the chaotic hubbub, unfortunately those within it lack the skill to listen. Senior citizen ‘Mother Sister’ (Ruby Dee) takes exception to his wanderings, his alcoholism, and his kind yet perhaps slightly flirtatious gestures towards her as he makes his way past her front stoop throughout the day.
Similarly, Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith), a mentally disabled and stuttering man who tries to sell rudimentary self-coloured photos of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., meanders around the neighbourhood running into (and bothering) the numerous individuals on the street. After a confrontation with the short-fused Pino, he too sides with Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem in their aim to boycott the restaurant.
As the temperature begins to climb towards 100°, tempers also begin to flare (the film makers use a spicy palette to give us this torrid sense). On the hottest day of the summer, the people of Bed-Stuy become ornery under the blasting sun, leading things down a dangerous path as darkness begins to fall.
Filmizon.com’s Nikolai Adams with actor Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Buggin’ Out in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing
Amazingly, Do the Right Thing is twenty seven years old this year, yet it is still as relevant as ever. Though it demonstrates that things are improving in this world and in communities such as the one depicted in the film, it also signifies that there is much work that still needs to be done. The shocking death of a main character at the hands of the police (during a riot), illustrates the continued issue of excessive police brutality, especially in impoverished neighbourhoods (we have seen depressing stories such as this all too often on the news recently). It also paints a vivid picture of the difficulties of living peacefully and making the right decisions (or, as the movie puts it, ‘do the right thing’). Scenes such as the zoom in close-up of several cast members spewing intense racial slurs at the camera, or the humour that comes when a group who are using a fire hydrant to cool themselves aggravate a passing driver by spraying his convertible with water still stand out and capture the awkward mix of drama and humour found in the edgy scenarios.
The cast in this film is exquisite. Each actor portrays a character rich with life, making them feel utterly real. Much like the themes of the movie, we can see both the positive and the negative in them, in how they are trying to do right but going about it in the wrong way. No one can be seen as a villain, each character is just trying to survive. As the film is so vast, I have not even been able to mention smaller but memorable roles from a lisping Martin Lawrence, Korean grocers Sonny (Steve Park) and Kim (Ginny Yang), or Paul Benjamin, Frankie Faison and Robin Harris, who bring great comedy to the film as three guys who are always sitting on the side of the street observing the comings and goings of the passers by. It is hard to find any fault with the eclectic cast, so instead of highlighting each role individually, I will just say that this is one perfectly put together ensemble.
This was my second time watching Do the Right Thing. It is a beautifully complex and sharp piece of film making that is both humourous as well as intensely dramatic. The pain witnessed during the final closing scenes is powerful (and for many, difficult to watch), yet there is something hopeful about the neighbourhood still standing and the people within it being back on those streets the next stifling morning. Similarly, the final conversation between Sal and Mookie highlights the wounds procured from the earlier raucous riot, yet I sense that there is still some love and forgiveness found within their anguished voices. So, grab a slice of pizza and watch this classic 80’s movie – it will make you laugh. . . and will also leave you smoldering.