(Spike Lee, US 1989, 120 min., 35mm)

Spike Lee’s movie milestone examines the complexities of race relations during a particularly hot 24-hour period in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The cast includes Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, and the writer/director himself as Mookie. “At a time when too many filmmakers shy away from controversy or politics, Spike Lee hits you with his best shot”—Jack Garner.