Even though I watch a fair amount of movies, I'm embarrassed to say that I'm relatively unfamiliar with Spike Lee's joints. Aside from Inside Man and Malcolm X, I haven't seen anything else from his filmography (well... I remember snippets from He Got Game, but only the scene where an incarcerated Denzel Washing throws a metaphoric basketball through the wall of his prison-court and it floats over to his son playing basketball out in the free world -- likely watched this movie with my parents as a kid, half falling asleep on the couch). Many of Lee's films seem to tackle subject of racial discrimination and civil rights, and while he's not the first and certainly not the last to dramatize these subject matters, he's certainly dropping some critical thought-provoking genius in this gem, Do the Right Thing.
It's a simple story. Mookie is your typically young black adult residing in a sleepy, slummy neighborhood of Brooklyn. Between his sister, his girlfriend, and his job at the Italian-American owned pizzeria at the end of the block, Mookie just seems to be trying to get by, much like everyone else. This film has a wide cast of distinct characters. Some characters might fit the stereotype role hard, such as the asian family running the neighborhood convenience store, while others are just unexpected, like Smiley, the white mentally-challenge man who strolls the sidewalks selling photos of MLK and Malcolm X. While everyone goes about their lives, we are constantly beaten over the head that it's going to be a hot day with the heat only getting worse. It's pretty obvious that this forebodes to the anger and violence of racial tensions that are boiling up in the neighborhood.
And, boy, does the steam cooker blow or what...
Now, I'm going to assume most people have seen this film as it's classic at this point. (And if you haven't, let me take this time to encourage you to watch it. It's powerful stuff.) But this allows me to jump right into my critique of some of the film's messages and some questions I still can't figure out.
First, I was talking with Sween the other night, telling him I just finished the film, and he asked "Why do you think Mookie threw the trash can into Sal's Pizzeria?" Great question. While I think it's difficult to definitively break down this film to one central message, for me, that message is that we all (regardless of race and color) struggle between our internal conflict of good and evil, love and hate... doing the right thing versus doing the wrong thing. And this is made no clearer then after the huge altercation at Sal's where the police accidentally kill Radio Raheem (the guy always blasting NWA out of his oversized boombox). Shit goes down. And in the lull where Sal's standing outside his story arguing with the neighborhood, explaining the altercation, Mookie could have done two things: defend Sal while attempted to diffuse the situation from getting an worse, or lead the charge into battle by starting a riot. Mookie chooses the latter. Sal's store burns down. Raheem dies. No one comes out ahead.
And in the following scene, Mookie sits on the curb with this thousand-yard stare looking at the wreck of Sal's place (his former place of work) clearly distraught by the whole situation. Then it's obvious, for a brief moment, hate took over love in his internal battle of good and evil leaving violence as the consequence. However, I'm not sure I completely understand what Spike is trying to say here about humanity. You see, I don't recall one character who's completely good or completely bad. Everyone seems to be a mix in some way or another. Even Smiley, the harmless, mentally-challenge guy takes part in the riot and is responsible for starting the fire that burns Sal's to the ground. Smiley! The one guy I assumed at the beginning of the film was this weird metaphor for innocence, yet he arguably causes the most destructive damage.
In the end, all I can take away is that Spike may see this world (its racial tensions in specific) as having this yin and yang relationship. Good doesn't come without evil. Love doesn't come without hate. As much as we try to be kind to one another, eventually we'll turn for the worse and do something violent. Just like on the flip-side, if we're constantly bad we'll do something good -- much like Da Mayor (the neighborhood's drunk) is responsible for saving a kid's life from getting struck by an oncoming vehicle. This love and hate relationship is reasserted in the last moments of the film where we're given two civil rights quotes from MLK and Malcolm X. MLK has a message of pure peace, which is juxtaposed with Malcolm X's message that violence (while not desirable) is sometimes necessary. Then we see the photo -- the same photo Smiley hangs up in the ruins of Sal's pizza shop -- of MLK and Malcolm X smiling and shaking hands. Two different forces living together with one another. For better or for worse. I guess... it's just life?
As a quick side-note... I can't help but think that Spike also succumbed to this analogy. Remember the shooting of Trayvon Martin? Spike lived out Mookie's poor decision when he posted on Twitter the address of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman. Only, Spike got Zimmerman's wrong address and accidentally channeled the country's outrage to an innocent elderly couple who were forced to flee their home amid unwarranted harassment and misdirected hate. Spike did apologize and made some sort of financial settlement to the couple, but still... None of us are immune from hate it seems.
As a quick side-note... I can't help but think that Spike also succumbed to this analogy. Remember the shooting of Trayvon Martin? Spike lived out Mookie's poor decision when he posted on Twitter the address of Martin's shooter, George Zimmerman. Only, Spike got Zimmerman's wrong address and accidentally channeled the country's outrage to an innocent elderly couple who were forced to flee their home amid unwarranted harassment and misdirected hate. Spike did apologize and made some sort of financial settlement to the couple, but still... None of us are immune from hate it seems.
Ok. After rambling on here, I'm going to release this full disclosure: I have no clue what Spike meant audiences to take away from this movie, nor do I know what would be a textbook understanding of this film. But here's my personal takeaway...
Everyone in this film is an asshole.
Yup. I said it. Everyone is an asshole. You want to know why? Because this is a world where people are shoving their thoughts and opinions down each other's throat regardless of personal respect for their neighbor. While on the flip-side, this is also a world where people cannot take people shoving crap down their throat... hence the heated friction that eventually blows up. You don't believe me? Let's just take a few examples:
• Sal hangs a Hall of Fame on his wall with all white heroes, forcing anyone who visits his establishment to view his personal opinion of people that should be admired.
• Buggin' Out, a patron of Sal's Pizzeria, at first cannot take Sal's opinion of heroes, and then later forces his opinion that there should be black people also posted on this Wall of Fame.
• Radio Raheem struts around with his boombox blaring NWA for all to hear, regardless is they want to or not.
• Smiley runs up to people constantly trying to sell photos of his heroes, Malcolm X and MLK.
Most of the main cast in this film wear their identity on their sleeve, not just for all to see, but for all to deal with. While I root for individuality and having every person having the freedom and intelligence to pursue a life and identity that makes sense to them, there's a respectful way to do it and a disrespectful way. Most characters in this film chose to express themselves in the disrespectful method. I think the best example of this is the scene where the kids break open the fire hydrant and have a water party out in the street. When an car approaches them, the driver asks to not get his car wet. The kids promise they wont. Then, sure enough, as the car rolls past them, they unleash a torrent of water soaking the convertible and the driver understandable pissing him off. Yeah, this scene could seem like nothing more than kids being kids, but I think it sends a larger message -- we force our neighbors to experience our beliefs through our words and actions, and (most of the time) the recipient has no desire to take part in that experience. But, hey fuck 'em. You cross my path, then you better be ready deal with whatever shit I'm going to throw in you face.
To be simple, it's just a world of bad manners. Bad manners leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to the dark side... I mean police brutality and rioting.
There's a lot more I could speak to this film, but with so much said already, I'll bring this post to a close. I will end with this: This film made me think. It made me questions. And it was damn, fucking entertaining. Definitely among the best films I've ever seen and is clearly a masterpiece.
PS... For a follow-up conversation, what the hell was the character Smiley suppose to represent?
• Sal hangs a Hall of Fame on his wall with all white heroes, forcing anyone who visits his establishment to view his personal opinion of people that should be admired.
• Buggin' Out, a patron of Sal's Pizzeria, at first cannot take Sal's opinion of heroes, and then later forces his opinion that there should be black people also posted on this Wall of Fame.
• Radio Raheem struts around with his boombox blaring NWA for all to hear, regardless is they want to or not.
• Smiley runs up to people constantly trying to sell photos of his heroes, Malcolm X and MLK.
Most of the main cast in this film wear their identity on their sleeve, not just for all to see, but for all to deal with. While I root for individuality and having every person having the freedom and intelligence to pursue a life and identity that makes sense to them, there's a respectful way to do it and a disrespectful way. Most characters in this film chose to express themselves in the disrespectful method. I think the best example of this is the scene where the kids break open the fire hydrant and have a water party out in the street. When an car approaches them, the driver asks to not get his car wet. The kids promise they wont. Then, sure enough, as the car rolls past them, they unleash a torrent of water soaking the convertible and the driver understandable pissing him off. Yeah, this scene could seem like nothing more than kids being kids, but I think it sends a larger message -- we force our neighbors to experience our beliefs through our words and actions, and (most of the time) the recipient has no desire to take part in that experience. But, hey fuck 'em. You cross my path, then you better be ready deal with whatever shit I'm going to throw in you face.
To be simple, it's just a world of bad manners. Bad manners leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to the dark side... I mean police brutality and rioting.
There's a lot more I could speak to this film, but with so much said already, I'll bring this post to a close. I will end with this: This film made me think. It made me questions. And it was damn, fucking entertaining. Definitely among the best films I've ever seen and is clearly a masterpiece.
PS... For a follow-up conversation, what the hell was the character Smiley suppose to represent?
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