Do the Right Thing

Directed by Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing unfolds over the course of an excessively hot day and follows the various residents of a small, volatile New York City neighborhood as they go about their lives and, eventually, come together in an explosive outburst of violence. Filmmaker Lee delivers a somewhat overlong yet mostly engrossing drama that effectively paints a vivid portrait of its Brooklyn-based locale, and it’s clear, too, that the writer/director does a superb job of establishing and developing the movie’s myriad of distinctive figures – with this vibe certainly heightened by the efforts of an impressively talented cast that includes, among others, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, and Ruby Dee. Do the Right Thing‘s been packed with a whole host of compelling and downright electrifying encounters and sequences, to be sure, and yet it’s equally clear that Lee’s palpably plotless modus operandi paves the way for a midsection that admittedly does possess a handful of pronounced lulls. It’s equally apparent, however, that such concerns are rendered entirely moot in the face of a spellbinding and unexpectedly powerful third act, with the impact of this stretch undoubtedly confirming Do the Right Thing‘s place as a stirring drama that’s only grown more and more relevant in the years since its 1989 release.

***1/2 out of ****