Strange Days

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow and screenplay by James Cameron and Jay Cocks from a story by James Cameron, Strange Days is the story of a former cop turned black marketer who finds himself in trouble due to a device that records memories where a user had witnessed a killing by two corrupt cops. Set in 1999 Los Angeles just two days before the millennium, the film is a cyberpunk thriller that explores the world of technologies and memories as a man deals with his past as well as his friendship with a female bodyguard. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’Onofrio, William Fichtner, and Michael Wincott. Strange Days is a phenomenal yet gripping film from Kathryn Bigelow.

It’s 1999 just two days before the new millennium as the film is about these last two days where a black marketer discovers about a conspiracy involving two police officers in the death of a renowned rapper through a recorded memory from a hooker. With the help of a female bodyguard and a private investigator, Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) tries to find out what these cops are doing as well as who has been killing not just the witness of these murders but also who has been stalking Lenny’s former girlfriend in rock singer Faith (Juliette Lewis). It’s a film that has a lot of elements of suspense and intrigue as it’s set in futuristic 1999 where Los Angeles is in chaos over tension between the people and the police. Even as it also features a man struggling with his past over his lost love while the only true friend he has is this no-nonsense bodyguard named Mace (Angela Bassett) who doesn’t like his work as she always bails him out.

The film’s screenplay by James Cameron and Jay Cocks is very intriguing not for its mystery but also in the drama where Lenny is still pining for Faith. Even as he watches old tapes in his head of the good times they had before she left him for the music impresario Philo Grant (Michael Wincott) who also manages the controversial rapper Jeriko One (Glenn Plummer) who has become a voice of the people. One’s murder by these two corrupt cops in Steckler (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Engelman (William Fichtner) that was witnessed by a friend of Lenny in the hooker Iris (Brigitte Bako) through her SQUID memory recorder that she wears on her head would trigger the events in the film. The film does become this suspense-thriller through its script yet there’s much more to it as it concerns the relationship between Lenny and Mace.

Mace is easily one of the film’s most interesting characters as she was this former waitress who met Lenny when he was just a cop comforting her son following an incident. Their friendship has Mace being not just a mother of sorts for Lenny but one where she tries to maintain some control as she has no interest in seeing other people’s memories through his device nor does she approve Lenny’s line of work. Once she realize what is going on and the trouble that Lenny is in, she reluctantly helps out as she is this commanding presence that is really unlike a lot of characters in film. There’s no bullshit about her which makes Mace so intriguing in comparison to Faith as she is this rock singer yearning to make her break but hangs out with the wrong people. The characterization of Lenny and Mace isn’t just the highlight of the script but also some of the dialogue where it’s very direct but also has some moments of humor.

Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is definitely intoxicating from the first moment of the film which explores a gang trying to rob a restaurant and evade the cops in a chase as it’s mostly shown in two takes all from the perspective of a robber. All of it is shot in a shaky steadicam as if someone is watching this moment as if they’re that person. It’s among these elements of style that Bigelow would incorporate as it does play into this idea of the future where people put on a headgear and be near a recorder in their hand so they can record these memories. It’s not just these steadicam shots that are among the finer moments of the film but also the presentation that Bigelow has in the way she explores Los Angeles in this period of turmoil and tension in the last days of the 20th Century.

The direction also has Bigelow use her slow-motion visual trademark to not just play into the action and suspense but also some of the drama in order to explore some of the tension and stakes in the film. Even as it plays into that world of reality and memories where it’s all about someone re-living an old memory or looking into someone else’s memory. The action scenes which involve a few fights and such are very engaging as it includes the film’s climax where Mace deals with the corrupt cops and Lenny dealing with the mysterious killer. Overall, Bigelow crafts a very fluid and enthralling film about a man uncovering a mysterious murder that could spell doom for the world.

Cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography where it mostly takes place at night with a few scenes set in the day as it has an air of style in its lighting as well as the way it presents Los Angeles in its most chaotic. Editor Howard E Smith, with additional work from James Cameron, does excellent work with the editing in not just creating a feel in the steadicam shots where it feels like it is presented in one take but also in its use of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts to play with some of the film‘s action. Production designer Lily Kilvert, along with set decorator Kara Lindstrom and art director John Warnke, does fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the New Year‘s Eve party in the middle of Los Angeles to the clubs and hotels that the characters go to. Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick does nice work with some of the film‘s costumes from the suits that Lenny wears as well as the clothes that Mace wears the slinky, revealing dresses that Faith wears.

Visual effects supervisor James Lima does terrific work with some of the film‘s visual effects such as the fuzzy visuals that a person wears when wearing the SQUID device. Sound editor Gloria S. Borders and sound designer Brian Williams do brilliant work with the film‘s sound from the atmospheres of the parties to the way some of the flashback memories and such sound like as they‘re recorded. The film’s music by Graeme Revell is superb for its ambient-based score with elements of rock and electronic music while music supervisor Randy Gerston brings in a sprawling soundtrack filled with all sorts of music ranging from metal/hard rock, alt-rock, electronic music, world music, and hip-hop from acts like Marilyn Manson, Skunk Anansie, Lords of Acid, Bob Marley, Deep Forest w/ Peter Gabriel, Me Phi Me w/ Glenn Plummer, Tricky, Prong and the Doors’ Ray Manzarek, and Juliette Lewis doing two covers of songs by PJ Harvey.

The casting by Sharon Baily, Debi Manwiller, Richard Pagano, and Melissa M. Thomas is incredible for the ensemble that is used which includes some notable small performances from Louise LeCavalier, Joe Urla, and Nicky Katt as a trio of Philo’s bodyguards, Michael Jace as a former pro footballer who becomes a bodyguard of Philo, Richard Edson as Lenny’s supplier Tick, and Josef Sommer as LAPD deputy commissioner Palmer Strickland who Lenny knows is the most incorruptible person on the force despite his issues with him. Brigitte Bako is wonderful as Lenny’s hooker friend Iris who witnesses Jeriko’s murder while Glenn Plummer is terrific as the outspoken rapper Jeriko. William Fichtner and Vincent D’Onofrio are excellent in their respective roles as the corrupt cops Engelman and Steckler as two loose cannons who take the laws into their own hands.

Michael Wincott is superb as Faith’s manager Philo who is a slimy individual that likes to take control of everything while being addicted to watching people’s memories. Tom Sizemore is amazing as Lenny’s private investigator friend Max who is this very eccentric guy who doesn’t do things conventionally while helping Lenny and Mace figure out the murders and such. Juliette Lewis is fantastic as Faith as Lenny’s former lover who is trying to make it as a rock singer who cares about Lenny but doesn’t love him anymore as she is trying to hide something that Lenny doesn’t want to know.

Ralph Fiennes is brilliant as Lenny Nero as this former cop turned black marketer who finds himself in trouble when one of his machines has uncovered a major conspiracy as he also deals with his feelings for Faith and clinging to the past as it’s one of Fiennes’ more underrated performances. Finally, there’s Angela Bassett in an outstanding performance as Mace as she is this no-bullshit bodyguard/chauffer who just wants to get paid and do what is right for her son while dealing with Lenny’s troubles. Bassett also proves to be a formidable badass as she is one woman not to fuck with while she has some amazing chemistry with Fiennes as they become this very unlikely yet engaging pair that is fun to watch.

Strange Days is a remarkable film from Kathryn Bigelow that is highlighted by the spectacular performances of Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett. The film is definitely not just a fascinating cyberpunk, dystopian film but also a thriller that is very captivating and adventurous. Even as it’s armed with a cool soundtrack and some pretty funny dialogue. In the end, Strange Days is a kick-ass yet tremendous film from Kathryn Bigelow.

Kathryn Bigelow Films: The Loveless - Near Dark - Blue Steel - Point Break - The Weight of Water - K-19: The Widowmaker - The Hurt Locker - Zero Dark Thirty - The Auteurs #29: Kathryn Bigelow

© thevoid99 2014

Stranger Than Paradise

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, Stranger than Paradise is a road-movie of sorts about where a man’s Hungarian cousin arrives to New York City to stay for 10 days before going to Cleveland as he and a friend later visit her where they go to Florida. The film is an exploration into the lives of three people who feel out of place in their environments as they try to find themselves in different places in the U.S. Starring John Lurie, Richard Edson, and Eszter Balint. Stranger Than Paradise is a witty yet entrancing film from Jim Jarmusch.

The film is a simple story about a young Hungarian woman who arrives to the U.S. to stay with her cousin for 10 days in New York City before she moves to Cleveland. A year later, her cousin and a friend of his visit her in Cleveland where they later take a road trip to Florida. That is essentially the premise of the film as writer-director Jim Jarmusch doesn’t really divulge a lot of plot schematics or scenarios to drive the story except separate into three parts. The first part is in New York City where Eva (Eszter Balint) arrives from Budapest as she crashes at the apartment of her cousin Willie (John Lurie) who isn’t keen in having her stay for 10 days while their aunt (Cecilla Stark) is in the hospital. Yet, she manages to charm him and his friend Eddie (Richard Edson) before finally leaving to Cleveland.

The film’s second act takes place a year later where Willie and Eddie cheat at a card game as they take their winnings and decide to go to Cleveland to meet Eva and Aunt Lotte as the trio hang out and such. Notably as the story showcases how out of place Willie and Eddie are in Cleveland as they deal with the cold which is similar to how Eva felt out of place in New York City. The three then decide to go to Florida for the film’s third act just to see what it would be like and hope they can score more money but the sense of alienation and such just add to a sense of uncertainty for the three as they’re stuck in a place in Florida that feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere.

Jarmusch’s direction is quite simple in the way he presents the film as if the characters are sort of alien to their surroundings. Jarmusch’s approach to compositions and framing adds this very intriguing quality to the film such as the way Eva wanders around through the streets of New York. There is some intimacy in the shots he creates as well as a sense of style of how he shoots scenes in a car as well as the use of wide shots for the surroundings in New York City, Cleveland, and Florida. All of which has this enchanting quality to the images where it feels very foreign rather than something looks typically American. Even in the framing devices and such where Jarmusch does allow some humor to be played out though it’s mostly dramatic and low-key. Overall, Jarmusch crafts a very intoxicating yet compelling story about alienation in America.

Cinematographer Tom DiCillo does fantastic work with the film‘s sort of grainy black-and-white photography to create a look that is very low-key yet also stylish in the way the locations look as well as some of the interiors with it use of low-key lights. Editors Jim Jarmusch and Melody London do excellent work with the film‘s editing where it emphasizes a lot on style from the use of cuts-to-black to give the film a sort of episodic structure as well as some rhythmic cuts for the humor. The sound work of Greg Curry and Drew Kunin is terrific for the way it captures the atmosphere of the locations in order to maintain something real and to the point. The film’s music by John Lurie is wonderful for its low-key yet somber string quartet pieces that he created that is performed by the Paradise Quartet while its soundtrack also includes an amazing use of Screamin‘ Jay Hawkins‘ I Put a Spell on You.

The film’s cast includes some noteworthy appearances from street artist Rammellzee as a man Eva meets in Florida, Sara Driver as a woman in a hat in Florida, Danny Rosen as friend of Eva’s in Cleveland, cinematographer Tom DiCillo as an airline agent, and Cecillia Stark as Eva and Willie’s aunt Lotte who often speaks Hungarian as she’s very old school. Richard Edson is great as Eddie as this guy who hangs around as he is very friendly to everyone while being a foil for Willie. Eszter Balint is amazing as Eva as this young Hungarian woman who loves Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as she is baffled by her surroundings while proving to be quite cool as she is very good at shoplifting. John Lurie is fantastic as Willie as this guy who is very good at cards and has this idea of winning in gambling while dealing with his surroundings as he isn’t sure about how much he cares for Eva.

The 2007 Region 1 2-disc DVD from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a 1:78:1 theatrical aspect ratio for 16x9 widescreen as well as Dolby Digital Mono. The first disc is solely devoted to the film in its remastered presentation under the supervision of writer-director Jim Jarmusch. The second disc includes Jarmusch’s 1980 75-minute film Permanent Vacation which showcases Jarmusch’s brilliance as a filmmaker as well as his willingness to be completely independent.

The 45-minute 1984 German TV program Kino ‘84: Jim Jarmusch is essentially a profile into the works of Jim Jarmusch based on his first two films that include interviews with Jarmusch, cinematographer Tom DiCillo, producer Sara Driver, and actors John Lurie, Chris Parker, Richard Edson, and Eszter Balint. Much of it talks about Permanent Vacation and Stranger Than Paradise where Jarmusch and the others talk about the production of the two films as well as Jarmusch’s approach to storytelling. It’s a very insightful piece that explores Jarmusch’s rise early in his career as he was becoming a very important voice for American independent cinema.

The 15-minute behind the scenes documentary Some Days in January 1984 by Jim’s brother Tom is shot in Super 8 film. Though the short doesn’t contain any sounds, it does showcase what was happening during a very cold period in Cleveland where Jarmusch, his cast, and crew were trying to shoot scenes. Some of it is in black-and-white and some of it is in color where the film showcases how Jarmusch creates a film through very limited resources yet finds ways to get things done. The second disc also includes a photo gallery of the location scouting that occurred for the film as well as two different trailers for the U.S. and for Japan.

The DVD also includes a booklet that features essays and notes from Jim Jarmusch about Stranger Than Paradise. Jarmusch’s notes that was written in March of 1984 for the film’s press book showcase Jarmusch’s explanation about the film, it’s style, and why it’s so different where he also reveals that some of the reason the way things look and are acted isn’t just because of limitations but also to find something real. The essay entitled Enter Jarmusch by British film essayist Geoff Andrew who talks about the film and why it was so different from what was happening at the time. Even as it had a lot of European and Japanese film influences that made it so unique as Jarmusch was a bona fide film buff as Andrew also comments on some of the later films that Jarmusch did that may have seemed different from Stranger than Paradise but had that sense of quirky humor and such that made it similar to that film.

The second essay entitled Paradise Regained is from New York film critic J. Hoberman which is a brief insight into the film and its legacy that is really served as an introduction to a review that Hoberman wrote in October of 1984 for the Village Voice called Americana, Right and Wrong. The review talks about the film and its eccentricities as well as why it feels so fresh at a time when Hollywood blockbusters were ruling American cinema as Hoberman was championing the film. Two more essays from author Luc Sante are about Jarmusch’s first film Permanent Vacation as the first one entitled Love Among the Ruins: Permanent Vacation and Jarmusch’s New York that is about Sante’s reflections about the film as well as the moment when it was filmed as Sante was part of that culture.

Sante’s second essay My Lost City, which was written in 2003 and was part of an afterward in Sante’s 2004 book Low Life, is essentially about New York City in the 1970s and how a city that was once revered was suddenly regressing by crime, a bad economy, and social disorder. At the same time, it was sort of wild where a lot can happen where Sante reveals how youth was able to take advantage of this disorder in the city. Even as Sante reflects on a time that he felt was joyous and is considered lost since the city managed to clean itself up and become something different as it’s a wonderful essay to complement two great films from a great filmmaker.

Stranger Than Paradise is a remarkable film from Jim Jarmusch. Armed with its witty humor, a great cast, and some cool music. It is definitely one of the finest and most captivating films of the 1980s as well as a true definition of what independent films were about in those times. Especially as it has an energy and intelligence that captures that sense of alienation as well as play into something where America can seem very foreign at times. In the end, Stranger than Paradise is a sensational film from Jim Jarmusch.

Jim Jarmusch Films: Permanent Vacation - Down by Law - Mystery Train - Night on Earth - Dead Man - Year of the Horse - Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - Coffee & Cigarettes - Broken Flowers - The Limits of Control - Only Lovers Left Alive - Paterson - Gimme Danger - The Dead Don’t Die - (Father Mother Sister Brother) - The Auteurs #27: Jim Jarmusch

© thevoid99 2013

2012 Cannes Marathon: Do the Right Thing

(Played in Competition for the Palme D’or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival)

Written, directed, and starring Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing is the story about one hot summer day in a Brooklyn neighborhood as racial tension starts to boil. The film explores an entire day where an Italian pizza owner has to deal with numerous characters including a highly-vocal young man, a big man carrying a boom box, and his new pizza delivery boy who just wants to get paid. Also starring Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, Steve Park, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Joie Lee, Roger Guenveur Smith, and Samuel L. Jackson. Do the Right Thing is a provocative yet harrowing drama from Spike Lee.

It’s a hot summer day in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn as Mookie (Spike Lee) has to go to work at a pizzeria owned by Sal (Danny Aiello). Working with Sal’s two adult sons in Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson), Mookie’s only concern is to get paid and see his girlfriend Tina (Rosie Perez) and son Hector whom he hasn’t seen in a week. Things get tense as the day goes on where Mookie’s friend Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) is eating pizza at Sal’s as he is upset over why Sal’s Wall of Fame features Italians and wants to know if Sal will put some African-Americans on the wall. Instead, Buggin’ Out gets kicked out as he tries to start a boycott on Sal’s Pizza as the day continues to heat up where an old drunk named Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) tries to win the affections of an old woman named Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) who keeps looking out at the neighborhood.

Things continue to intensify as a trio of men (Robin Harris, Frankie Faison, and Paul Benjamin) watch the neighborhood deal with the heat while making complaints about Korean grocery store owner named Sonny (Steve Park) who had taken over the corner across from Sal’s for more than a year. Though Mookie is doing his job, he still has to deal with the prejudiced Pino who is not happy about working at his father’s place and is sick of being in an environment that he feels is filled with animals. Though Sal wants to maintain that his place is here to stay, he has an uneasy encounter with Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) who likes to blast Public Enemy’s Fight the Power at a loud volume as he later joins Buggin’ Out in the boycott against Sal that would include a mentally-challenged man named Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) who meanders around the neighborhood trying to sell a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

With the day turning into night and closing time starts to emerge, the tension between Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem towards Sal about wanting some African-Americans on the wall leads to a huge fight that culminates in an incident the neighborhood would never forget.

What happens on one hot summer day in a small section of Brooklyn where things become uneasy between an Italian-America pizzeria owner, his two sons, a young pizza delivery man, his friends, some teenagers, a trio of middle-aged men, two elderly people, a Korean grocery store owner, two cops, and a radio DJ that watches everything in his booth? Well, there’s a lot that happens in this film where it all centers around a pizzeria that has been around for 25 years and one guy is upset over the fact that there’s no brothers on Sal’s Wall of Fame filled with famous Italian-Americans. A lot of is from the perspective of a young man named Mookie who is just trying to get through this hot day while he delivers pizza by foot and deal with Sal and Pino for being late or just delivering the pizzas not on time. For Mookie, he could care less except for just getting paid and do what is right for his girlfriend and their young son.

There’s also subplots that is prevalent in the film’s screenplay as it includes this old drunk who wanders around the neighborhood trying to impress this old lady as both of them watch what is going on. Notably as the old man is trying to bring wisdom to a young group of teenagers who dismiss his wisdom while he would end up doing something noble. There’s also brief glimpses of a group of Puerto Ricans trying to get through the hot day where they would have an encounter with Radio Raheem along with a scene where Buggin’ Out gets upset at a guy (John Savage) for accidentally messing up his Air Jordans. It’s all part of what is happening in the course of a very hot day as things are starting to boil where a couple of cops (Rick Aiello and Miguel Sandoval) are looking around.

One of Spike Lee’s gifts as a storyteller is the way he creates characters who are truly interesting but also flawed. Notably individuals like Pino and Buggin’ Out who are both quite extreme in their views of the world. Pino can be called a racist since he often spouts racial slurs and is not enthused about working in a predominantly African-American area. In a conversation with Mookie, it is revealed that is favorite basketball star is Magic Johnson, his favorite movie star is Eddie Murphy, and his favorite musician is Prince. That revelation is quite strange as Pino tries to explain to Mookie that these guys he loves aren’t black or whatever. They’re just men as he tries to explain but it adds to the complications of who he is though Mookie doesn’t think he’s a total jerk.

Buggin’ Out is another character that is quite extreme though his intentions about having brothers on the Wall of Fame is noble. It’s just that his approach rubs people the wrong way as he’s often dismissed or has to get some lesson from people about what he should do. Still, Buggin’ Out is on a mission to boycott Sal where he ends up gaining the very intimidating Radio Raheem in the boycott and things eventually goes out of control. Especially when it finally makes this very old-school yet kind man like Sal get even more angrier where his own hatred is unveiled in an intense scene that is followed by violence and chaos. All of this is in the eyes of a DJ named Mister Senor Daddy Love (Samuel L. Jackson) who, along with the three men in the corner, would comment everything that is going on in his neighborhood.

Lee’s direction is definitely stylish in terms of the compositions he creates as well as the mood he sets for these very simple yet tense dramatic scenes. Shot on location in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, Lee wanted to show a world that is vibrant and quite diverse but also a bit uneasy due to the heat wave that is happening. Scenes such as Mookie and Tina’s love scene with an ice cube along with some interior shots show the sweat and weariness of these characters. It would add to the boiling tension that occurs as Lee would always frame the actors a certain way to play up the drama.

Notably as there’s some montages such as a scene where characters spew out racial insults at someone to the camera only for Mister Senor Daddy Love to stop the montage so that everyone should just chill out. There’s a lot of intimate yet more simpler moments where Sal is flirting with Mookie’s sister Jade (Joie Lee) where there’s a camera panning to express the different feelings of both Mookie and Pino who feel uneasy about this relationship. There’s also some striking close-ups that add to the dramatic tension including shots where Lee takes advantage of using the crane to capture the neighborhood and the characters in this neighborhood.

For the film’s climatic moment where the tension boils in this pizzeria between Sal and Radio Raheem, Lee’s camera is always presented in a slanted composition where he’s waiting for the moment for things to finally just go out of control. There’s people in this crowd that is saying names of those who had died in these awful situations where its aftermath is one that will be frustrating because it ends up raising more questions than answers over what had happened. Did anyone in that film do the right thing? It’s not that easy to answer. Yet, Lee chooses to end the film with two very different quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X that each has different viewpoints about using violence as it is followed by the picture of the two that Smiley had been holding throughout the entirety of the film. Overall, Lee creates a truly mesmerizing yet very confrontational film that doesn’t take the easy road into exploring race relations nor does he want to imply something with an overbearing message.

Cinematographer Ernest Dickerson does an extraordinary job with the film‘s vibrant and colorful cinematography from the daytime exteriors to play up the heat to the interiors where the heat intensify where Dickerson creates some gorgeous lighting schemes to play up the tension. Editor Barry Alexander Brown does a brilliant job with the editing to play up the rhythm of the conversations to the racial-spewing montage that is wonderfully cut along with other stylish elements to help keep the film at a leisured pace. Production designer Wynn Thomas and set decorator Steve Rosse do excellent work with the set pieces such as Sal‘s pizzeria with its old-school Italian setting and its Wall of Fame along with the red wall that the old men in the corner sit at including other parts of the Bedford-Stuyvesant location.

Costume designer Ruth Carter does wonderful work with the costumes from the Brooklyn Dodgers shirt that Mookie wears in the film‘s first half to the more colorful clothing many of the characters wear. Sound designer Skip Lievsay does fantastic work with the film‘s sound from the way Radio Raheem‘s boom box blares Public Enemy‘s Fight the Power to varying degrees of volume to the chaos that occurs in the film‘s climatic moment. The film’s score by Bill Lee is superb for its mix of orchestral flourishes that features a soothing saxophone by Branford Marsalis and a trumpet from Terence Blanchard to play out the chaos and drama that occurs in the film. The film’s soundtrack a wonderful mix of music ranging from Ruben Blades’ salsa to the reggae of Steel Pulse. Yet, a lot of the film’s music is dominated by R&B and hip-hop from acts like Teddy Riley, Take 6, E.U., and Public Enemy.

The casting by Robi Reed-Humes is outstanding for the ensemble that is created as it includes notable appearances from John Savages as a man who accidentally runs over Buggin’ Out’s Air Jordans, Frank Vincent as a man with a vintage car, Richard Parnell Habersham as a kid named Eddie, Ginny Yang as the Korean store owner’s wife, Joie Lee as Mookie’s younger yet more responsible sister Jade, Steve Parks as the Korean grocery owner Sonny, and Luis Antonio Ramos as a Puerto Rican who battles Radio Raheem over who has the louder boom box. Other noteworthy small yet memorable performances include Frankie Faison, Robin Harris, and Paul Benjamin as the three men in the corner commenting about everything while Martin Lawrence, Steve White, Leonard L. Thomas, and Christa Rivers are very good as the four young people who play around at the neighborhood. Miguel Sandoval and Rick Aiello are also good as the two cops who try to maintain order despite the treatment they receive from the neighborhood.

In her film debut, Rosie Perez is superb as Mookie’s profanity-spouting girlfriend Tina who bitches about Mookie not being there while Perez has a great moment dancing to Public Enemy in the film’s opening title sequence. Roger Guenveur Smith is terrific as the mentally-challenged Smiley while Bill Nunn is excellent as the intimidating Radio Raheem who sports two different rings that says “love” on the right and “hate” on the left. Richard Edson is pretty good as Sal’s much friendlier son Vito who is good friends with Mookie while John Turturro is amazing as the very prejudiced Pino who often spouts racial slurs while feeling embarrassed about where he’s working at. Giancarlo Esposito is incredible as the very outspoken Buggin’ Out who is trying to boycott Sal’s pizzeria in order to just to have some brothers on the wall.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee are wonderful in their respective roles of Da Mayor and Mother Sister as the two elderly individuals each provide insight into the surroundings around them with Davis trying to be the man of good despite wanting a beer. Samuel L. Jackson is great in a small role as Mister Senor Daddy Love who comments about everything that is happening as he even breaks the fourth wall by letting everyone chill. Spike Lee is great as the immature but determined Mookie who is keen on wanting to get paid while having to deal with some of the things in his life as he becomes more concerned for his family whom he hadn’t seen lately. Finally, there’s Danny Aiello in a phenomenal performance as Sal who is just trying to run his pizzeria in a hot day while dealing with Mookie’s attitude, Pino’s prejudice, and the tension that is happening as he finally loses it.

Do the Right Thing is a remarkable yet powerful film from Spike Lee. Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Ruby Dee, the late Ossie Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, and Bill Nunn. It’s a film that is truly engrossing to watch for the way it plays out a lot of racial tension on one hot summer day. For those new to Spike Lee, this film is pretty much the best thing he did as well as a true landmark film for the way African-American life is depicted without playing down to stereotypes or with a message. In the end, Do the Right Thing is a magnificent film from Spike Lee.

Spike Lee Films: (She’s Gotta Have It) - (School Daze) - Mo' Better Blues - Jungle Fever - (Malcolm X) - Crooklyn - (Clockers) - (Girl 6) - (Get on the Bus) - 4 Little Girls - (He Got Game) - Freak - Summer of Sam - (The Original Kings of Comedy) - (Bamboozled) - (A Huey P. Newton Story) - (Jim Brown: All-American) - 25th Hour - (She Hate Me) - (Inside Man) - (When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts) - (Miracle at St. Anna) - (Kobe Doin’ Work) - (Passing Strange) - (If God is Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise) - (Red Hook Summer) - Bad 25 - Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - (Oldboy (2013 film)) - (Da Blood of Jesus) - (Chi Raq) - Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall - BlacKkKlansman - Da 5 Bloods - (American Utopia)

© thevoid99 2012