Spike Lee

The Profile

Spike Lee is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and actor known for incisive films on race, class, and urban life, often set in New York City. He founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks and won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlacKkKlansman (2019).

Recurring themes: New York’s social fabric, race relations, and power. Landmark titles include Do the Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), 25th Hour (2002), Inside Man (2006), and BlacKkKlansman (2018). He directed the Kickstarter-backed Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014).

DeBaser’s reviews track Spike Lee from Brooklyn heat to Wall Street vaults and post-9/11 blues. Highlights include Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour, Inside Man, and Clockers; mixed notes land on BlacKkKlansman and Oldboy. Themes of racism, identity, and New York’s pulse recur. Craft, music, and provocation are constant. Overall: respect with room for debate.