Directed by Spike Lee
Screenplay by Spike Lee
Director of photography: Ernest R. Dickerson
Music by Bill Lee
Cast: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee
Production: 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

In Spike Lee’s prolific body of work, there are some simple genre pieces that work verywell. These include one of the best heist films ever made (Inside Man, 25th Hour, as wellas last-year’s big box office hit BlacKkKlansman), but also some truly excellent scripts. But whether the plot is light or serious, Spike Lee’s commitment as an advocate forAfrican-Americans always infuses all of his films. Do The Right Thing is not an easy filmto watch, especially because of the brutal conclusion. But if you think the moral is that opening a pizzeria in a Black ghetto isn’t easy – you’re wrong. Spike Lee was very clear about the real message of the film in the quotes appearing at the end: “Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral.” – Martin Luther King “...it doesn’t mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense.” – Malcolm X