Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson and is the feature film debut of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. The story explores a Brooklyn neighborhood's simmering racial tension between its African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of a local pizzeria, culminating in tragedy and violence on a hot summer's day.
| Do the Right Thing | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Spike Lee |
| Written by | Spike Lee |
| Produced by | Spike Lee |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ernest Dickerson |
| Edited by | Barry Alexander Brown |
| Music by | Bill Lee |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.2 million |
| Box office | $37.3 million |
A critical and commercial success, the film received accolades, including Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (for Aiello's portrayal of Sal, the pizzeria owner). In 1999, it was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, citing its preservation as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 2022, the film was ranked the 24th greatest of all time in Sight and Sound magazine's decennial poll of international critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics. It has since been featured on many other lists of the greatest films of all time by numerous critics.