DO THE RIGHT THING

Well I finally got around to seeing this acclaimed film.

I'd been putting it off because I thought it was going to be a bit heavy: 24 hours in a small slice of Brooklyn, with racial tensions soaring along with the temperature.

So I am pleased to report it's very entertaining, starting with a terrific opening credits sequence and never letting up, but not in an exhausting way. 

It's got a lively set of characters that we jump between, with not a lot happening on the surface, but there is a simmering undercurrent of racial hostility which gradually builds during the day (and the film), until it eventually erupts.   

Although it was shot on location the film has a stylised look, maybe because of the use of red and orange paint to suggest heat.  I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that it was adapted from a play because it has a theatrical quality, but in fact Spike Lee knocked off the screenplay in a couple of weeks, for which he rightly received an Oscar nomination. 

The focus of the film is the tension between the African-American community on the one hand, and the Italian-American family that owns a pizzeria on the other.  The source of tension on this particular day is whether the pizzeria should display photographs of famous African-Americans as well as famous Italian-Americans.

I'm not sure that Danny Aiello's performance as Sal the pizzeria's owner stands out enough to warrant an Oscar nomination; the film is an ensemble piece with everyone turning in good performances including Spike Lee as the main character, Mookie.

Mookie is a likeable presence so it was a surprise when he is the one who incites the violence when it comes.  This is triggered by the most shocking moment in the film, when a character is killed whilst being restrained by the police, 31 years before the murder of George Floyd.

When the police arrive and deploy water hoses on the rioters it calls to mind an earlier scene when youngsters joyfully frolic in water from a fire hydrant.  It’s a subtle and poignant call-back. 

The film ends with two opposing quotes on the subject of violence, by Martin Luther King and by Malcolm X.  Perhaps the point Lee is trying to make by juxtaposing them is that there is no easy answer to race relations in the US, and this film does not insult our intelligence by suggesting there is.

RATING: ✓✓ Catch It If You Can