Do the Right Thing

VOICES OF MOB: *THEY KILLED HIM THEY KILLED RADIO RAHEEM* *IT'S MURDER DID IT AGAIN JUST LIKE THEY DID MICHAEL STEWART* *MURDER ELEANOR BUMPERS MURDER* *IT'S NOT SAFE NOT EVEN IN OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD IT'S NOT SAFE* *NEVER WAS NEVER WILL BE* Long overdue proper re-watch for the film's 36th anniversary. Despite only really having seen it in full once before I feel like I know every crevice of this film front to back. Love it so much. One of these days I'll watch a proper screening of this in a cinema. Watched the 4K UHD Blu-ray Universal release imported from the US which was also recently released locally here in Australia. Brilliant transfer that really pops on higher-end calibrated displays. This is the film as it was meant to be seen, with vibrant colour and blistering heat. Absolutely one of the best 4K discs you could get. The disc comes with a short one minute intro by Spike filmed from his phone in 2021 outside 40 Acres and a Mule headquarters. He contemplates the everlasting relevance of the film in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the deaths of George Floyd and Eric Garner, before rightfully proclaiming that Do the Right Thing will forever stand the test of time. It's incredible how Spike balances all these different characters before everything spills over. It really feels like an actual community being shown on screen. You can pretty much catch any of the actors in the background at any point, and it really makes the world of the film feel lived in. Da Mayor will just be sitting in the frame somewhere. Mother Sister sitting in her window, watching the block. Radio Raheem will walk by. Smiley's in the corner selling his photos, the Latinos are sitting around while Ahmad, Cee, Punchy and Ella fool around. Sal and Pino I'm pretty sure are never seen outside except for scenes centring the store, which is a very cool detail. It all comes together SO beautifully and I almost forgot about that aspect of the film. Camera work is severely under-discussed when it comes to this film. Some wonderful shots here. Let me tell you the story of right hand, left hand... It's a tale of good and evil.