Lee’s movies have shed many new lights on the African-American experience, helping to give opportunities to a whole other corner of the filmmaking community and inspiring many other POCs to step into directing and acting roles.
Let’s take a look at the five movies that have defined Spike Lee’s rollercoaster career.
Do The Right Thing
Considered by many to be the defining movie of Spike Lee’s entire career, “Do The Right Thing” is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made.
Set during the hottest day of 1989 on a street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, tensions rise between the African-American and Italian-American communities.
While the movie’s very funny, it perfectly encapsulates the craziness of racism and how communities can crumble very quickly from blind hatred. The film received two Academy Award nominations, one for Danny Aiello, for Best Supporting Actor, the other for Best Original Screenplay.
Malcolm X
This biopic epic, which spans a whopping 201 minutes, covers the life and times of its titular character, Malcolm X. Denzel Washington, who had already starred in Lee’s movie “Mo Better Blues,” took his career to a whole new level with this stunning performance as the former leader of the Nation of Islam.
The movie effectively shows X’s rise to prominence, before becoming disenfranchised with the movement, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and embracing a more mainstream interpretation of the religion. Washington was famously nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.
Clockers
It might not be his most famous movie, but retroactively, it’s one of Lee’s most influential. “Clockers” is a special movie because it is considered a companion piece alongside the show “Homicide: Life on the Streets.” It deals with a New York dealer who is caught up in a murder investigation.
Many believe that “Clockers” helped pave the way for other films and shows that dive into various institutions of a city and how crime impacts all of them. The obvious example is HBO’s “The Wire.”
25th Hour
“25th Hour” saw Lee deviate from his usual subject matters of African-American life. The film focuses on a white main character who is busted for substance possession, with most of the movie covering the final day of his freedom.
The film is star-studded, with great performances from Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Anna Paquin, and many more.
BlackKklansman
Spike Lee returned to form with his 2018 movie “BlackKklansman.” Based on a true story, John David Washington plays a black police officer who infiltrates the KKK by passing off as a white man via phone calls.
A tense and comical film in equal measure, other great performances come from the likes of Adam Driver and Topher Grace. “Klansman” finally saw Lee get his first Academy Award, winning the Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay.”