Do the Right Thing: Blu-ray (1989)

Do the Right Thing is the best movie Spike Lee has ever made, it's thought provoking, culturally significant, well-written/acted and completely entertaining from start to finish. This is the film that put Spike Lee on the map. Nominated for many awards (although only 2 Oscars) it was also very well received.

Set in a Brooklyn neighborhood on the hottest day of the year, tensions rise with the heat. As the day goes by everyone gets more irritable until finally things erupt. The ensemble cast features Lee himself, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, John Turturro, Bill Nunn , Sam Jackson and is the first film credit for both Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. All the actors are excellent with the possible exception of Lee. The only real complaint that I have is that Lee's portrayal of Mookie is underwhelming, compared to the rest of the cast.

Although I am not a huge fan of Lee's acting abilities he more than makes up for it with the writing and directing. Every character feels real and is well rounded. Lee's direction puts you right in the middle of the scenes with different camera angles conveying different emotions within each character arc.

Do the Right Thing is also a movie that will make you think. It's main focus is race relations and it raises many significant questions, without giving any clear cut answers, allowing the viewer to form their own opinions about what "the right thing" is.

The Blu-ray looks great for a 20-year old movie, it's brighter than previous video version due to removing a slightly red filter and colors really pop. Detail is also very good, the transfer is not at the level of a new release film but holds up remarkably well. The audio also gets a big jump in it's lossless format. Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" has never been so powerfull. The song is played 15 times in the movie and literally shook my house, for reference I played my cd copy after watching the movie and it was nowhere near comparison.

If you have never seen Do the Right Thing, you need to, as soon as possible. There are no easy answers but it could help you figure out what you believe in, you will not be disappointed.

Rating
Movie 5/5
Blu-ray4.5/5