Let me take you back many years to a time when I was a neophyte of a cinephile, and there were a few names I encountered that seemed definitive markers of audacity and notable reputation when it came to cinema. One such name was Spike Lee, who I consider to be one of the most important social filmmakers to ever work in the medium of cinema, and his unique approach to his stories are second-to-none. He has made a multitude of brilliant films, but the one that is usually considered his masterwork is Do the Right Thing. It took me far too long to actually getting around to watching this film, but it was well worth the wait, because not only is Do the Right Thing an unbelievably well-made, brilliant it, it is a deeply fascinating character study of the tensions that pervade society and a monumental exploration of social themes that are as resonant today as they were back then in 1989. The result is a masterpiece of 1980s filmmaking that is as riveting and thought-provoking today as it was years ago, and it proves to be a seminal, definitive piece of filmmaking from Spike Lee, who has shown to always be a force when it comes to constructing socially-aware films.

Do the Right Thing begins with a credits scene that sees Tina (Rosie Perez) dancing to Public Enemy’s now-iconic social protest song “Fight the Power”. This unique and stylistic scene starts off a film that examines important social themes through the ensemble of characters that live and work on a block in Brooklyn, which serves to be the only location of the film. The events transpire over roughly one day (with the final scenes of the film taking place in the early morning after the previous day) as we follow the activities of a small handful of different individuals going about their everyday lives during the hottest day of the year, with this film building up to show the underlying tensions that existed (and unfortunately still exist) in American society today.

The epicenter of Do the Right Thing‘s story is Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, which holds different meanings for different people. For Sal (Danny Aiello), it is a family-owned business that he himself is proud to have built and hopes to continue to serve the community, hopefully passing it down to his two sons (John Turturro and Richard Edson). For Mookie (played by Spike Lee himself), it is a stable job that brings him a small but manageable income that he can use to support his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez) and his son, Hector. For Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), it is a way to make a quick buck by offering to sweep the sidewalk (there is a bit of subtext here, but we’ll get to that a bit later) and for Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), it represents the divide between black and white after he discovers that the business only displays pictures of famous Italian-American people, and he thus demands Sal puts up some images that reflect the diverse clientele (there is also some subtext here – in fact, there is so much implication and subtext in Do the Right Thing, one could write an entire thesis just on the way in which Lee alludes to certain issues rather than overtly stating them. But all in good time, dear readers). The pizzeria, an inconsequential business that is shown to bring joy to countless people, forms the core of this film, and all actions and character motivations can be traced back to this one location as this film examines the various issues that pervade society.

I really want to get to talking about the subtext, but first, let’s look at Do the Right Thing as a film first because there will be time to look at it as a piece of protest art soon enough. Do the Right Thing is a true ensemble film – it is a film bustling with characters, each one having their own story to tell and undergo their own arc that all build up to a thrilling and unbelievably tense climax. As a result of this ensemble mentality, each performer is given the opportunity to shine. Spike Lee himself takes on one of the central (although I would never consider him or anyone the leads of this film – Lee just resembled the closest thing to a protagonist as this film was going to get, and the title itself applies to all the characters, but perhaps to Lee’s character Mookie the most), and while his performance was a bit shaky at times, he held up the film well. It wasn’t a case of the vanity of an overzealous filmmaker who believes himself as the best person to play the lead role, but rather an attempt at Lee to enter into the same world he has created, and it has remarkable results.

Danny Aiello and John Turturro are also great as the Italian-Americans that form a vital part of the majority-black community, which is a subversive tactic to move away from the idea that white occupation of majority-black areas are some sort of invasion as a result of gentrification (a lot of the time it is, let’s be honest), but also Lee’s statement that a community isn’t built on race or identity, but on how the individual functions within that society and what they contribute, and as shown through the character’s adoration of Sal’s business, he is as much a part of the community as everyone else. However, that isn’t to say that race doesn’t play a very big part in this film, as this film’s climax may show that even someone who has been a part of a community such as the one shown in Do the Right Thing is not entirely perfect and does have his own prejudices that can lead to tragedy, which it ultimately does – but I digress.

The standout performer, in my honest opinion, has to be Ossie Davis who is remarkable as Da Mayor, the self-proclaimed moral leader who presides over the residents who populate this film, usually with a beer in hand and a wise drunken rambling on his lips. His progressive romance with Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) is one of my favorite parts of the film, and considering the two were married in reality for decades only makes it that much more endearing. The entire cast is outstanding and especially wonderful if you consider how many of these performers such as Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez and Samuel L. Jackson (credited here merely as Sam Jackson, which was an inconsequential but still interesting bit of trivia I noticed) would go on to create diverse careers of their own, using Do the Right Thing as a springboard to success. Spike Lee is a filmmaker that very often gave platforms to young, struggling actors and helped them achieve some notability that led them to fruitful careers. Do the Right Thing is filled with such examples.

There is something else about Do the Right Thing that struck me as being particularly notable when looking at it purely on a superficial cinematic level, without doing a close reading of the film as a whole – the fact that Do the Right Thing is an absolutely stunning film visually. Lee has always been quite innovative with how he makes his films, and Do the Right Thing has some of his most gorgeous technical prowess on show – the unique, often-jarring cinematography, with a reliance on unconventional angles, is highlighted by the exquisite production design. The use of color in this film was absolutely striking and left me in awe. This is a film with a very serious and socially-resonant message that Lee was trying to convey, but he managed to do it by creating a film that stuns the audiences with its meticulous attention to detail, and its astounding visual appearance that draws the viewer into this almost-surreal but still very realistic story. When looking at Do the Right Thing in retrospect, I struggle to forget some of the bold and imaginative visuals, which only accentuate the very serious thematic subtext that this film is built around.

Now the moment of truth – a discussion about Do the Right Thing‘s emotional and social implications. I’ll start by simply discussing the question that the film is built around. Early on in the film, Da Mayor tells Mookie to “do the right thing” – and the audience is challenged to consider what “the right thing” actually is. Now this is a contentious point and one that has apparently led to much debate, and it seems to gravitate towards the climax of this film, where Mookie throws a trash-can through the window of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, inciting the violent rioting that created the heart-stopping moments of anarchy as a result of tragedy that occurred just before. There seems to be much debate as to how Mookie was charged with the choice to take action in some way, and his decision may or may not have been him doing “the right thing”. I personally really don’t see it this way at all, because to reduce this film to one moment like that is wrong and detracts from the multiple narratives driving the film.

“The right thing” is not something that can be understood as being a simple action – “the right thing” is simply a representation of the daily choices everyone has to make. Each and every character in this film makes decisions based on their own personal opinions of what “the right thing” in that situation would be. In addition to the countless choices we have to make in order to “do the right thing”, we are also faced with the challenges of dealing with the outcomes of those decisions we make, and sometimes what the individual believes represents them doing “the right thing” turns out to be completely false, and they live and learn from it. Mookie does “the right thing”, but so does every character – because “the right thing” isn’t something definitive – there isn’t a grand narrative that constructs what is right and what is wrong in such clear terms. Obviously, there are unspoken rules of what constitutes right and what constitutes wrong, such as the central decision made in this film that results in the shocking final act, where killing and violence are obviously wrong. Yet the post-script of the film shows two contradictory quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X on the issue of violence and thus puts the audience in the position to construct their own beliefs as to what “the right thing” actually is.

This leads me to my final major point – Do the Right Thing starts off as an entertaining, very funny and somewhat lighthearted film that subscribes to the “slice of life” narrative that many films draw upon. It sets itself up to show a day in the life of a normal neighborhood in Brooklyn, filled with quirky characters and situations that aren’t far-fetched or detached from reality. However, Lee was clearly trying to make a statement right from the outset, because as the day goes on, we start to see tensions building up in various characters for a number of reasons, which results in the climax of this film, which is a construction of extreme pandemonium and violence as the characters respond to the utter tragedy that is far too resonant today. Do the Right Thing is a film about race relations. It is very often a very uncomfortable and unsettling film to watch because the raw and brutal way in which Lee gradually reveals the underlying, destructive tensions between groups is very stark. It is a film that challenges social normativity and plays upon popular tropes and stereotypes to create a story that was a sadly accurate representation of the heated racial climate present at that time, which still continues to this day. It is pointless to skirt around the issue and its far better to just call a spade a spade, which is precisely what Lee does in his unrelenting, often shocking and heartbreaking portrayal of the underlying tensions in society that could erupt at any given moment.

Personally, I feel like Do the Right Thing is one of the most important films ever made. It is a film that is entertaining and often very funny, but it does descend into explicit and unsettling representations of issues that plague modern society. It carries a very important message, and Lee exercises his responsibilities as an artist to both create something to be seen and loved, but also to imbue his art with a message that can, in some way, contribute to a more progressive society. It is a film that most importantly offers questions without making attempts at giving definitive answers. It is a film that doesn’t attempt to “preach” (a reckless accusation often thrown at films like Do the Right Thing) but rather to show audiences a piece of reality and allow them to come to their own internal conclusion, and hopefully, as the central message of the film tries to say, force us to consider our own actions and decisions, and how everyone should strive to “do the right thing”.