After 1988’s School Daze, Spike Lee released what would become one of his most admired films to date. Do the Right Thing hit theatres in 1989. Starring Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee, Do the Right Thing told a story of intolerance and racial conflict in a colourful Brooklyn neighbourhood on the hottest day of the year.

In 1999, Lee’s film was considered “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress and was selected for entry into the National Film Registry. In 2007, AFI listed Do the Right Thing as the 96th greatest film in American history. Upon the film’s release, controversy erupted after a reviewer from a New York magazine suggested that black viewers would riot upon having seen the film. Lee responded by suggesting that the reviewer was off-base for assuming that black audiences were incapable of restraining themselves while watching a fictional movie.

Jazz, Jungle Fever, and X

Following the success of Do the Right Thing, Lee focused his attention on a film about a jazz trumpeter with Mo’ Better Blues. The film was rather tepid, but featured a good performance by Denzel Washington. Jungle Fever would hit theatres and controversy in 1991, as the subject of interracial romance still proved to be a bit too controversial for some audiences and critics.

In 1992, Lee tackled his long-awaited dream project, the biopic Malcolm X. The film is the first non-documentary and the first American-produced film to be given authorization to film in Mecca or within the Haram Sharif. Through the use of a second film crew (because non-Muslims are not allowed inside the city), Malcolm X broke boundaries. Warner Bros. wanted Lee to trim the film down by a half hour, but several celebrities came to Lee’s aid and helped finance the project.

Toning It Down

After the draining process of filming Malcolm X and his previous films, Lee settled down a bit and 1994’s Crooklyn was based on his own experiences growing up. The comic look at a young girl and her family didn’t resonate overly well with audiences and is rather forgettable, save for its great soundtrack. Crooklyn was followed by Clockers, Girl 6, and Get on the Bus. Each film was different, but none of them gathered much by way of accolades or acclaim.

Lee Splits the Critics

Spike Lee’s next series of films would split the critics and provide even more controversy to an already contentious career. With 4 Little Girls, Lee tackled a documentary about the racially motivated bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church that killed four pre-teens in 1963. He Got Game was next, which was a look inside the world of high school basketball.

1999’s Summer of Sam split the critics again, with many of them hating his look at the Son of Sam and others loving the style. Bamboozled did the same, as many critics found the satire a bit too raw and unfunny. 25th Hour and She Hate Me were similar in terms of response, as critics again divided over Lee’s work. His films in the 1990s and 2000s were often controversial and troublesome, but they were also always fascinating.