Do the Right Thing

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Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing (1989) stands as a landmark in the African-American new black film wave. Set on a scorching summer day in New York City, the film features an ensemble cast, including Lee himself, who navigate the tensions and dynamics of a racially and culturally diverse Brooklyn neighborhood. Unlike Hollywood's cautious approach to race, often relegating it to the South and the past, this film offers a rich portrayal of black urban life. It captures elements such as hip-hop fashion, Afrocentric colors, rap music, police brutality, gentrification, non-white immigration, de-industrialization, and joblessness, all from a contemporary African-American perspective. Ed Guerrero's insightful study highlights how the film showcases Spike Lee's significant influence on race representation and the evolution of black filmmaking, as well as the emergence of multicultural voices in media. This new edition features a foreword by Guerrero that reflects on Lee's ongoing filmmaking career and the persistent issues of racial discrimination and police brutality faced by African-Americans. Guerrero underscores Lee's understanding of black filmmaking as a multifaceted endeavor that intertwines art, politics, and business to challenge institutional discrimination and power dynamics.