1989 Hit Film, That Was Written in Two Weeks, Ranked No.1 Greatest Movie of the '80s
The 1980s were a defining era for music and film, with Spike Leeemerging as one of Hollywood's most influential voices after releasing an independent comedy-drama. The film, which earned Oscar nominations, has since led many to regard it as one of the greatest movies of the decade.
Rolling Stone released a list of the best films to have been released during the '80s. Hit likes Raging Bull, and Videodrome ranked in at No. 3 and No. 2 on the list. Taking the No.1 spot was Lee's 1989 film Do the Right Thing. It included a star-studded list of Hollywood actors like Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and John Savage. It was also the film debut of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez.
The film takes place on the hottest day of the summer in Brooklyn, where neighborhood tensions are brewing between the African-American residents and the local pizzeria owned by Italian-Americans. Lee combined a spectacle of comedy and social commentary paired with one of the best movie soundtracks featuring Public Enemy's "Fight the Power."
"You can feel writer-director Spike Lee channeling a decade's worth of real-life racial strife, urban anxiety, American culture clashes and class struggles into this powder keg of a movie, dropping audiences into the hottest day of the summer in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood ("Bed-Stuy, Do or Die!")," said Rolling Stone.
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Do the Right Thing was developed by Lee while discussing the 1986 incident at Howard Beach, Queens, with actorRobert De Niro. The incident involved an African-American man who was attacked in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood, leading to his being killed after being hit by a car. Lee created the film's hot summer day storyline detail thanks to the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Shopping for Death." As a result, Do the Right Thing's screenplay was written within two weeks.
Critics have praised the film's use of social commentary, with Rolling Stone calling it a "state-of-the-nation address." Amid its use of comedy, it tackled real-life events like the death of Michael Griffiths and the murder of Yusuf Hawkins through meticulously planned plotlines. It also included quotes from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.
The ending to the film also gained acclaim and controversy after its release. Many protested its content as inciting Black audiences to riot, which Lee has publicly called out for being "outrageous" and "racist." Without spoiling the film, many have criticized the main character's final act as either having saved the pizza owner's life or inciting an act of violence.
Do the Right Thing was nominated at the Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay, with Lee nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Since its release, it's been preserved by the Library of Congress and tagged as one of the greatest films of all time.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 2:04 PM.