Do The Right Thing [DVD] [1989]

Customers buy this item with She's Gotta Have It [DVD] [1986] DVD ~ Tracy Camilla Johns

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• This item: Do The Right Thing [DVD] [1989] DVD ~ Danny Aiello

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• She's Gotta Have It [DVD] [1986] DVD ~ Tracy Camilla Johns

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  Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Spike Lee's incendiary look at race relations in America, circa 1989, is so colourful and exuberant for its first three-quarters that you can almost forget the terrible confrontation that the movie inexorably builds toward. Do the Right Thing is a joyful, tumultuous masterpiece--maybe the best film ever made about race in America, revealing racial prejudices and stereotypes in all their guises and demonstrating how a deadly riot can erupt out of a series of small misunderstandings. Set on one block in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer, the movie shows the whole spectrum of life in this neighbourhood and then leaves it up to us to decide if, in the end, anybody actually does the "right thing." Featuring Danny Aiello as Sal, the pizza parlour owner; Lee himself as Mookie, the lazy pizza-delivery guy; John Turturro and Richard Edson as Sal's sons; Lee's sister Joie as Mookie's sister Jade; Rosie Perez as Mookie's girlfriend Tina; Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee as the block elders, Da Mayor and Mother Sister; Giancarlo Esposito as Mookie's hot-headed friend Buggin' Out; Bill Nunn as the boom-box toting Radio Raheem; and Samuel L Jackson as DJ Mister Señor Love Daddy. This is a rich and nuanced film to watch, treasure and learn from--over and over again. --Jim Emerson

Synopsis
Spike Lee's racial and political filmmaking bent is given the full treatment with this simmering expose of racial tensions in a New York City neighbourhood one scorching summer day. The film, written by Lee (and nominated for an Oscar), follows a group of racially diverse inhabitants from Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood as they spend their day trying to avoid the oppressive heat. These include African American pizza deliveryman Mookie (Lee), the racially sensitive Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito), and the silent, boom-box-blasting Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn). Also thrown into the mix are Sal (an Oscar-nominated Danny Aiello), the Italian-American proprietor of Sal's Pizzeria, as well as his two sons, Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson), who hold completely opposing attitudes when it comes to race. After Buggin' Out tries to organise a boycott of Sal's because of the lack of racial diversity on his shop's Wall of Fame, the tensions explode in an act of senseless violence. Lee's film is an electric work of political entertainment that confronts sensitive racial issues head-on. He deftly blends humour and drama as well as using specific music to further amplify his theme (Public Enemy's song 'Fight the Power' actually becomes the film's main catalyst for action). Boldly closing the film with opposing quotes from Malcolm X and Martin Luther King on the nature of race relations, Lee leaves it up to the viewer to decide if Mookie's actions were the correct ones. Aiello and Esposito are standouts in an all-star cast that includes Lee himself, his sister Joie, 'discovery' Rosie Perez, and the married team of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. Always one to spark controversy, Lee's summer drama finds the filmmaker at the peak of his craft.

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12 Reviews 5 star:  (8) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Lee's Masterpiece, 23 Nov 2000 By  nickyuill@netscape.net (Edinburgh, Scotland) - See all my reviews This review is from: Do The Right Thing [VHS] [1989] (VHS Tape) Quite simply, this is Lee's best and most powerful film to date. He combines wit and anger to illustrate the evils of racism. As the temperatures rise on the hottest day of the summer, tempers begin to fray in a Brooklyn neighbourhood. When night falls and a young black man dies at the hands of the police, these racial tensions boil over into a neighbourhood race riot. The tight script and strong acting, with Lee taking the lead, as well as the noise of Public Enemy combine perfectly to produce one of the best African-American films of all time. In my top 10 films ever. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   18 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars 3 great films, disappointing presentation, 16 Jul 2003 By  "jsgreen89" - See all my reviews This review is from: Three Spike Lee Joints - Clockers, Do the Right Thing [DVD] [1996] (DVD) I won't focus on the films too much as you're only likely to buy this box set if you have some experience of Spike Lee films already. Being a huge fan of 'Clockers' I was curious to check out Spike's earlier films, and this box set includes what I think are 3 of his best ‘joints’. ‘Do the Right Thing’ is certainly provocative but revolutionary in its style and presentation. You’ll probably want to watch this first before watching his other films to understand Lee’s style of film-making. ‘Jungle Fever’, while not as important as ‘Do the Right Thing’ is never the less a fine film with some great performances from Lee’s regular group of actors (especially John Turturro). ‘Clockers’ is my personal favourite and to me shows Spike Lee as a more mature director, although the involvement of Scorsese and Harvey Keitel no doubt helped for this one. So 3 great films, but a bit of a let down on the presentation front. ‘Do the Right Thing’ has received a reasonable treatment in terms of extras, commentary and picture quality but the other 2 are bare minimum releases. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Bordering between racist and brilliant, 1 April 2006 By  H. Feddern "demideniro" (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    The film's best scene characterises the best and worst of life, race relations and this film. 'Radio Raheed' shows us two knuckle-dusters - one called 'LOVE' one called 'HATE' and describes that life is a constant battle between the two, yet love always prevails in the end. 'Do the Right thing' is in itself the same struggle between the great and sometimes excessive elements of Lee's talents. Lee's work is very explosive, energy-laden and colourful. His characters are often repulsive, foul-mouthed and amazingly vivid. This film is no exception. It concentrates on the relationships between all the multiple characters - white, black and Korean. Although the dialogues are excellent and realistic they tend to get slightly heavy-handed sometimes. Especially the soliloquies are iritating at times due to their unrelenting tension and vibrancy, yet they are truthful and profound as well. Credit must go to Lee for his vision and courage not to shy away from the unpleasant characterisations that are essential in order to truthfully depict life in multi-cultural communities. His plethora of antagonists from the indifferent Italian rolemodel 'Sal' and the elderly 'The Mayor', to the repulsive 'Pinot' and his black counterpart. Ostensibly 'Do the Right thing' is a film about the underlying and undeniable tensions that always simmer between different races. However, it is more than just a study in race relations, its a study in people themselves; the duality of man, the uncomfortable tendencies all humans - black or white, have. Although Lee seems to behold some grudges towards certain sections of American society at times it would be fair to say he treats all sides of the fence with equality and justice. 'Do the Right thing' is uncomfortable, unflinching and unrivalled visceral filmmaking on racial relationships. Even though it gets a little garish at times I would not hesitate from recommending it to anyone. Buy it now! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 12 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Thing? Right Choice To Watch This is a movie thats fun to watch for an hour and a bit as it cruises along (Samuel L is brilliant at portraying the vibe as a radio host)... Read more Published 3 months ago by K. Maloney 5.0 out of 5 stars The best Hip Hop Film Although this film is not about Hip Hop, it embodies the spirit of Hip Hop circa 1989. Public Enemy's music blasts throughout the film, the characters could have stepped... Read more Published 4 months ago by British Commentator 4.0 out of 5 stars unforgettable - what a way to get a message accross the style is not to everyone's taste, but it's nicely pitched........ however irritating the characters, they put you right there..... Read more Published 6 months ago by phil mars 5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Urban Cinema While some people find Spike Lee's filmic style a little too "in your face" at time, it is impossible to deny that he has extraordinary talent as both screenwriter and director... Read more Published 11 months ago 5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Forget the recently made film Crash which far from being a critical analysis of race and class in society this film, made over a decade before is the one you want to see... Read more Published 12 months ago by Gogol 5.0 out of 5 stars The movie that put Spike on the map, and deservedly so The first time I've seen Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" was at the theater and the movie refused to leave my mind for about several weeks. Read more Published on 26 Jun 2007 by Jenny J.J.I. 5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this yesterday! Intense, funky, cool, hot, and one of the most accomplished and memorable films you'll ever see. Published on 9 Jun 2005 4.0 out of 5 stars good boxset 1 good, and 2 amazing movies. which is which?....any spike lee fan knows. Published on 19 Jan 2004 by bandarbilla 5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply, a masterpiece. A masterful portrait of inner-city life in today's U.S. Sure, it simplifies some day to day aspects of life in the ghetto. Read more Published on 14 Jan 2001 by Kasper Simon Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 12 customer reviews...

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