Since his debut feature She's Gotta Have It hit theaters in 1986, Spike Lee has been one of the boldest and most distinct voices in American filmmaking. Over the course of his career, he's worked in every genre, from comedies to war movies, documentaries to music videos.
His landmark masterpiece Do The Right Thing, released in 1989, remains his most celebrated film to this day, and for a good number of reasons. But while that film is his magnum opus, there are other titles in Lee's filmography which are equally beloved by casual movie fans and avid cinephiles alike. Here are 5 reasons Do The Right Thing is the best, and 5 other contenders.
Do The Right Thing Is The Best: New York
Most movies widely considered quintessential "New York" films were made in the 1960s and 1970s: West Side Story, Taxi Driver, and Manhattan, to name a few. Do the Right Thing, however, is every bit the classic New York story as any other film.
It was shot mostly on one block in Brooklyn where Spike Lee still has his office located. Spike himself plays a pizza delivery man in a diverse neighborhood. The characters and the film itself, like New York City, are big-hearted, but hard-edged.
Alternative: 25th Hour
2002's 25th Hour is a New York story unto itself: it was the first major motion picture to be set in a post-9/11 New York City. The tragedy of that day looms over the events of the story, which tracks the last day of main character Monty Brogan's life as a free man before beginning a seven-year prison sentence for selling illegal drugs.
Edward Norton is remarkable in the lead role, and the tone of the film is perfect from beginning to end. It's a melancholy, bittersweet drama about coming to terms with an unforgiving reality, which of course, makes post-9/11 NYC the perfect setting for the story.
Do The Right Thing Is The Best: It's Ahead Of Its Time
Even though it came out 32 years ago, Do the Right Thing seems to get more relevant as time goes by. Towards the end of the film, Radio Raheem is killed in a police chokehold, which inspires a riot at the film's climax: a scene that proved chillingly prescient given recent events. It gives a glimpse of how long police brutality has been going on.
During the chaos, Mookie is forced to make a very difficult decision, and is guided by the wisdom of one of the neighborhood guys who tells him, "Always do the right thing."
Alternative: 4 Little Girls
Another Spike Lee film to directly confront racism is his beautiful documentary 4 Little Girls, which aired on HBO in 1997. It's an account of the horrific Birmingham Church bombing in 1963 by white supremacists which murdered 4 young Black students. Whereas Do the Right Thing was ahead of its time, 4 Little Girls looks into the past with equal intimacy and urgency.
It's a difficult film to watch, given its emotional rawness and tragic subject matter. But it's one of the best documentaries of its time, and still holds up today.
Do The Right Thing Is The Best: The Ensemble Cast
Because Do the Right Thing is remembered for its political relevance, its powerhouse ensemble cast is often overlooked. The film boasts a terrific bunch of actors, some were established stars at the time, but most of whom were up and comers whose talents hadn't been fully discovered yet. Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Martin Lawrence, Frank Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson, John Savage, Giancarlo Esposito, and of course, Spike himself, round out a fantastic ensemble of performers who each bring their A-games, making the film all the more authentic.
Alternative: Inside Man
While perhaps not as profound as other films on this list, there's no denying the popular appeal of 2006's Inside Man, a cops and robbers thriller starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen as savvy operators on different sides of a bank robbery gone wrong. Washington is a detective bent on exacting justice and rescuing the hostages, and Owen is the ingenious criminal mastermind who fights to stay one step ahead of him.
The film grossed over $186 million worldwide, by far Spike Lee's highest-grossing movie ever. It's a superbly executed crime caper with a great cast, a clever script, and an exciting third act.
Do The Right Thing Is The Best: The Greek Chorus
Samuel L. Jackson plays Senor Love Daddy, a local radio DJ who serves as a one-man Greek chorus, who chimes in on the story's events at various moments in the film, giving Do the Right Thing a literary quality that's a rarity in contemporary cinema.
He opens the movie by ringing an alarm clock over the radio and telling everyone to wake up. He then tries to instill a sense of calm during the riots, and the next day begins his broadcast by describing the response from city officials who assert that "The city of New York will not let property be destroyed by anyone." He ends the film by dedicating the next song to Radio Raheem's memory, as the camera hovers atop the New York City block.
Alternative: Malcolm X
Of course, another contender for the top spot in the Spike Lee catalog is his excellent biopic, Malcolm X. Denzel Washington plays the title role, and Lee directs at a pace that some critics found frustratingly slow, yielding a runtime well over three hours. Given his appreciation for the subject matter, however, it was important that Spike do a thorough job of exposing viewers to the life and legacy of the civil rights icon.
Denzel Washington received his 3rd of 8 career acting nominations at the 1993 Academy Awards for his performance, and the film remains one of the major biopics to ever hit theaters.
Do The Right Thing Is The Best: The Visual Style
Do the Right Thing takes place amidst a brutal heat wave, on what is the hottest day of the year. The hot temperature was important to convey to the audience, both for authenticity's sake, and because it serves as a metaphor for the story itself, in which tensions become "heated" to the point where violence breaks out in the end.
The film is full of warm colors: bright reds, earth-tone ambers, yellows, and oranges. At one point, cinematographer Earnest Dickerson placed a heat bar in front of the camera, causing the light to refract and the audience to see ripples of heat, as they would if they were themselves outside on a scorching hot day.
Alternative: When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts
Spike Lee is one of New York City's most beloved filmmakers, often setting his films in his hometown. In the days surrounding Hurricane Katrina, however, Spike shifted his focus from the Big Apple to the Big Easy, where he shot a sprawling four part documentary for HBO about the hurricane itself, and the government's inexcusably slow response to help those affected.
The film oozes righteous anger, but also undeniable love and beauty. It's an extremely powerful eulogy for one of America's most treasured places, which would be forever changed from that point on.