Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem in 'Do the Right Thing'. Everett Collection
Spike Lee set a high bar for himself as a young director on Do the Right Thing, only his third feature film. The fiery comedy-drama centers on one boiling-hot day in the life of a Brooklyn neighborhood, where tensions run high between the local Black and Italian American communities. As we get to know its various inhabitants through well-observed character details, that simmering tension spills over into a riot, tapping into real-life conflicts happening in the world in 1989, and, sadly, still today. As EW's critic writes, "The movie paints every character in a sweltering coat of blame and challenges us to confront the absence of answers in the search to find out why we can't all get along." —K.J
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