Notable director Spike Lee's films have become a part of the American cinematic landscape, and his antics off-screen (most notably forming a pernicious rivalry with former basketball star Reggie Miller) have also cemented him as one of the film’s most interesting figures. Here are five of his most memorable titles that are must-haves for your library collection.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Lee’s Netflix film became a major sensation, with an unreal (and some say Oscar-worthy) performance by veteran actor Delroy Lindo. The rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either, with The Wire phenoms Isaiah Whitlock and Clarke Peters playing supporting roles along with Jonathan Majors and Chadwick Boseman. Majors, Lindo, Peters, and Whitlock play a group of Vietnam War veterans returning to the country to retrieve a stash of gold they left behind during the war. The film transcends a normal war story, combining it with elements of a heist film and family drama. It’s Spike at his best, and it’s no wonder it helped him ink a deal with the streaming site for more films.
Mo’ Better Blues (1990)
Spike often inserts himself as an actor in his own films, and his role as the gambling music manager Giant may be one of his best. He manages Bleek Quintet (Denzel Washington) and his jazz band in the early 90s. Giant is a marvelous character study of a man in over his head, and the cast is rounded out by Wesley Snipes as saxophonist Shadow Henderson and Giancarlo Esposito as pianist Left Hand Lacey. Before films like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Ray, Spike provided a glimpse of African-American musicians in turmoil with this gem.
Read our review of Mo' Better Blues
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Spike’s most notable starring role is in this film as Mookie, a pizza delivery man in Brooklyn. He works at Sal’s, where the titular owner (Danny Aiello) and son Pino (John Turturro) are overly antagonistic towards Mookie. The film is also a character study of the neighborhood, including the inebriated Da Mayor (Ossie Davis), the community matriarch Mother Sister (Ruby Dee), and the bombastic Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) who is seen donning “Love” and “Hate” brass knuckles on his hands (both an homage and adaptation of Robert Mitchum’s character from Night of the Hunter). The film, released over three decades ago, remains relevant in its portrayal of neighborhood strife and explosive racial relations.
Read our review of Do the Right Thing
25th Hour (2002)
Many consider this film to be one of the finest depictions of post-9/11 life. The main character Monty (Edward Norton) spends a final day tying up loose ends before going to prison for seven years on drug charges. Spike is known for having great actors supplement his works, and he once again proves this here. Brian Cox, Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Barry Pepper round out the cast. Norton’s expletive-laden rant where he vents his frustrations is memorable, and the movie is Spike firing on all cylinders.
Read our review of 25th Hour
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
This true-crime drama once again brings in a topic Spike has relied on in his work: race. John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, the first black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department. He and fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) devise a scheme to infiltrate a KKK chapter in Colorado. The film is a serious crime drama with elements of humor, most notably Stallworth admitting to Grand Wizard David Duke that he’s a black man near the end. Like Do The Right Thing, the film addresses race relations in America. Noted activist Harry Belafonte even has a cameo here. Spike is clearly an auteur fixated on race, and he’s working at a higher level with Stallworth’s true story as a guide.
Read our review of BlacKkKlansman