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Cast

Spike Lee
as Mookie

Danny Aiello
as Salvatore 'Sal' Fragione

Ossie Davis
as Da Mayor

Ruby Dee
as Mother Sister

Richard Edson
as Vito

Giancarlo Esposito
as Buggin Out

John Turturro
as Pino

Bill Nunn
as Radio Raheem

Paul Benjamin
as ML

Joie Lee
as Jade

Rosie Perez
as Tina

Frankie Faison
as Coconut Sid

Robin Harris
as Sweet Dick Willie

Miguel Sandoval
as Officer Ponte

Rick Aiello
as Officer Long

John Savage
as Clifton

Samuel L. Jackson
as Mister Senor Love Daddy

Robi Reed-Humes

Roger Guenveur Smith
as Smiley

Steve White
as Ahmad

Martin Lawrence
as Cee

Leonard Thomas
as Punchy

Christa Rivers
as Ella

Frank Vincent
as Charlie

Luis Antonio Ramos
as Stevie

Richard Habersham
as Eddie

Gwen McGee
as Louise

Steve Park
as Sonny

Stephen Park
as Sonny

Ginny Yang
as Kim

Sherwin Park
as Child

Shawn Elliott
as Ice Man

Diva Osorio
as Carmen

Travell Lee Toulson
as Hector

Joel Nagle
as Sargent

David E. Weinberg
as Plain Clothes Detective

Chris Delaney
as Stevie's Friend

Angel Ramirez
as Stevie's Friend

David Weinberg
as Plain Clothes Detective

Sixto Ramos
as Stevie's Friend

Erik Koniger

Nelson Vasquez
as Stevie's Friend

Yattee Brown
as Double Dutch Girl

Dominic Marcus

Eric Payne

Mecca Brunson
as Double Dutch Girl

Shawn Stainback
as Double Dutch Girl

Roy Thomas

Soquana Wallace
as Double Dutch Girl

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News & Interviews for Do the Right Thing

Critic Reviews for Do the Right Thing

Audience Reviews for Do the Right Thing

• Aug 26, 2017

  A remarkable film that offers a very funny slice of life in a black neighborhood of Brooklyn before reaching an explosive ending that forces us to consider the implications of racism and violence in American society (even if the conclusion is too ambiguous for its own good).
  Carlos M Super Reviewer
• Mar 18, 2015

  Artful, humorous, gritty and powerful. Spike Lee's joint Do The Right Thing executes with an unorthodox cinematic scope that is effective in highlighting a boom of a new generation. The film's overall tone and driving message tells a tale that resonates with all generations. 4/5
  

  Eugene B Super Reviewer
• Aug 14, 2014

  A mixed bag for me. The topic and actual plot events were fascinating, but I found it a little tedious to watch. The movie has this very static quality where actors tend to stand in one spot when they're delivering their lines, instead of moving around naturally, which makes it feel at times like an amateurish stage play. (Perhaps most of it was filmed single-camera?) The only character I felt for was Sal, Danny Aiello is a superb actor. I'm not sure if we're supposed to like the main character Mookie, tbh. Some of the dialogue (especially by Mister Senor Love Daddy and the three old men sitting around) is hilarious with great flow, but a lot of times, for example when tempers run hot, the lines people yell at each other are clichéd and carry no meaning.
  

  Letitia L Super Reviewer
• May 08, 2014

  Remember the days when Spike Lee's "joints" has a real edge and potency to them? Nowadays, he's rolling out more generic, Hollywood tripe like "Oldboy" but there was a time when he was a highly original and passionately political filmmaker as he regularly touched upon important social issues and conflicts. However, few of his joints have been as packed or as provocative as "Do The Right Thing". On a hot summer day in a Brooklyn neighbourhood, the residents struggle to keep their cool in the increasingly sweltering temperature. Sal (Danny Aiello) owns the local Italian pizzeria where he happens to upset black activist Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) who, in turn, demands the black community boycott his place. Most people are unwilling to do so but it still adds to the discontentment amongst the community as racial attitudes and prejudices begin to surface. Taking the title from Malcolm X's quote "You've got to do the right thing" and being inspired by an actual incident in Howard Beach, New York, Spike Lee crafts an important and unflinching portrayal of racial tension in a literal urban melting pot. He sets his intentions from the outset with the ferociously pumping music of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" and infuses his story with an eclectic mix of races, characters and personalities, while still managing to lend the film an important lightness of touch. It has a distinct and observant humour that magnifies the absurdity in people's preconceptions and judgments but this absurdity is soon, skilfully, shifted to frustration and rage which descends his characters into a chaotic madness. Filled with an abundance of excellent performances from Danny Aiello's hard working Sal to John Turturro as his racist son Pino and a small but highly entertaining role for Samuel L. Jackson as the radio dj, 'Mister Señor Love Daddy' - who seemingly oversees everything in the neighbourhood. Lee's direction is vibrant and colourful and makes full use of an excellent hip-hop score before other filmmakers even realised it was cool to do so. His script is also as sharp as they come with endlessly quotable dialogue and he even has the bravery to have a selection of characters - from different ethnic backgrounds - rhyme off very personal and racial slurs in a montage that breaks the fourth wall. With this scene alone, it's easy to see why some were offended by the film upon it's release. It's a passionate reflection of racism and race relations and one that raises as many questions as it answers. However, that's the whole point; Lee's agenda is not to incite trouble but to rouse debate and he does a sterling job in doing so, while still being empathetic towards each and every one of his characters - regardless of their ethnicity. That's the real key in preventing this film from being contradictory in it's arguments as many critics have claimed it to be. Few films have ever dealt with racism as powerfully or as thought provoking as Lee does here. He has a strong voice on the subject and this outstanding piece of work is one that's still as relevant today as it ever was. Beginning with a simmer before ending in a boiling intensity, this a powerful and thought provoking, sociopolitical commentary. Lee would go on to deliver the similarly themed "Jungle Fever" and "Malcolm X" after this, which cemented his reputation as one the most important black filmmaker's of our (or any) generation. Mark Walker
  Mark W Super Reviewer

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