Review of Do the Right Thing (1989) by Vera F — 07 Jun 2010

I have too many conflicting opinions. The beginning and middle are brilliant day-in-the-life minutiae. Mookie's choice in the end is powerful, but the motivation is unclear. My first take was that he doesn't really want to throw the trash can, but since he seems to be everyone's favorite guy, he knows he has to do something in the way of leadership to appease the majority. If Mookie's act is motivated by what he thinks is "right" but not necessarily "moral," then the resolution scene with Mookie and Sal seems a bit empty and paints Mookie as an ungrateful villain.

My second take is that Mookie throws the trash can because he realizes that he will always be black. The most offensive thing Sal could say is, "There will always be a place for you here." Sal will never understand Mookie or what he did. In this vein, Mookie's act is "right" and "ethical," however the two somewhat opposing quotes by MLK and Malcolm X at the end cloud the message. Is it "right" to act peaceably at all times or to use violence sometimes in self-defense? Radio Raheem and Buggin' Out do not act peaceably in their attempts to get pictures of African-Americans up on the walls of Sal's Pizzeria, and Sal does not act peaceably in his attempts to eject them from his restaurant. If MLK's doctrine of civil disobedience is out, then is Malcolm X's the only other way to go? Self defense is also kind of a sticky issue. Technically, no one attacks Mookie prior to him throwing the trash can, and the party he fights against were not directly involved in the cold-blooded attack of Radio Raheem.

So is there no "right" thing to do, or does everyone's "right" thing differ? I like that conclusion, but I'm not sure the movie's purpose is to contradict itself.