Synopsis
Trailers
Reviews (105)
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J
This is maybe my third time watching this movie and, on this viewing, the thing I feel most is sadness. That is because, for as much as Spike Lee gestures to capital-I Issues like structural racism and police abuse, this isn’t a movie about Issues, it is a movie about community: about the individuals that make up any community, about the challenges and fears and resentments and anxieties and joys and happiness that fill their lives, and about the ways racism frays the bonds of community with suspicion and hatred. The bright colors and hyper-stylization cannot hide the fact that DO THE RIGHT THING is a profoundly sad film, one attuned to how we can’t avoid the burden of our…
3,525 4 -
J
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K
Sat on it for a year, rewatched, and yeah this is easily a top 10 for me. Few movies out there that know how to toy with emotion through music the way this one does. Can safely say it’s like a different movie the second time around. Lots of ideas being tossed around in every conversation that all make a lot more sense and hit just that much harder when you know how the entire films plays out. I don’t even blame Spike for not being able to make a film as critically acclaimed as this, how can you top THIS? I love this movie a lot.
5,421 10 -
W
If you don’t think Sal is a racist, you should probably rewatch this movie. His climactic use of racial slurs can’t be chalked up to a lapse of judgement. He repeatedly clarifies that he only tolerates black people because they haven’t done anything bad to him, and because they provide his livelihood. His respect for the black community is entirely conditional and transaction-based — as soon as his “terms” of respect (essentially not having any major negative encounters with any black people) are violated, he becomes a full-fledged enemy. To focus the conversation about Do the Right Thing on Sal, though, is to embody the racism that it tries to uncover. I watched this movie twice in classes at a predominantly-white…
9,827 89 -
S
98/100 Do the Right Thing is an exploding fire-hydrant of colliding extremes and blazing hatred, shrunk down into a tension-fueled environment overflowing with humanity, humor, danger, sadness, pain and violence. Spike Lee’s masterwork doesn’t just break down the foundations of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’; it also comments on the despair and agony behind those established protocols. Do the Right Thing is important, commanding, vibrant, and necessary. There’s no other way to describe it. Also, apparently my younger self didn’t understand cinema, because about five years ago, I shrugged this off as MERELY excellent. Do the Right Thing isn’t just excellent, It’s life-changing and profoundly influential. An all-time favorite.
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L
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S
You could pluck this movie out of 1989 and release it as a new movie in 2021 and 100% of it would still be topical. That is so devastating
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P
Spoilers ahead. “Always do the right thing.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.” On the commentary track found on the Criterion release for this movie (which is great by the way, shit looks crispy), Spike Lee says that the title “Do The Right Thing” was never supposed to refer to Mookie throwing the trash can through the window. Of course, that doesn’t stop people from asking Spike whether he thinks Mookie did the right thing. Spike also says that only white people have asked him that question; never a black person. He says that people who ask the question are more concerned with the destruction of property than a black man’s life. I for one, have to agree with him. Once you…
6,466 36 -
J
“I don’t want to be here… They don’t want us here.” “Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps.” “There it is, love and hate.” An undeniable all-timer that sees Spike Lee taking the casual, everyday class and race realities/tensions of a hot summer hangout day on a sweaty block in Brooklyn (an easy access point to a wonderfully warm and comically eccentric community life he can then draw with his vibrant, colorful sense of heightened style) and slowly escalates them into a sweltering and tragic, politically and emotionally expressive pressure-cooker; a masterpiece of humanity and history that will hopefully one day feel dated. Motherfuck a window! It’s honestly crazy how long we’ve been having this conversations/asking these questions…
4,303 9 -
J
God, I’m overwhelmed by just about everything in this movie. The writing. The performances. The cinematography. EVERYTHING. There are some slow patches here and there, but those are easy to overlook when you take into account how masterfully this film sets up its pieces over time only to knock them all down in one enthralling, breathtaking final act. Fuck, man. THIS is a movie.
3,948 10 -
J
It was hot today, it was hot yesterday, and it’s gonna be hot tomorrow. And we’re all just so goddamned tired of this fucking heat.
4,851 4 -
E
“It’s a free country isn’t it?” “I should knock you out for saying that dumb shit alone!”
11,250 29 -
F
duude dutch angles duuuuuuuude
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V
do
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H
At the end I was thinking wow that ending was pretty good this probably deserves a 4 star but then I remembered when I was an hour though and thinking how absolutely nothing has happened and the storyline has gone nowhere so I think 3 and a half is a respectable rating. Also I loved the cinematography and it is the only thing that carries this movie.
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C
Ngl Buggin’ Out was definitely just trying to start something with the guy and his bike, dude’s Jordans were scuffed beforehand cause the other guy moved the bike behind him so there’s no shot he scuffed them. Everybody else was instigating too fs.
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G
Man Why did I take so long to rewatch this, this film is just so enjoyable it’s a movie you can’t look away from not for one second. I just love Spike Lee’s vibe with this and the characters are just outstanding I mean you have Mookie, Da Mayor and Sal and so on and so on just everything about this is perfect. This is a flawless film.
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T
I also turn into Da Mayor pretty quickly whenever I’m in a funky ass joint that doesn’t have any miller high life.
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T
Giancarlo Esposito plays a minion
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O
Radio Radio Radio Radio
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C
wow ternyata di brooklyn ada es serut juga jiers
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J
I loved this movie, da mayor is my king , I hate sals racist son but Sal didn’t deserve that. Justice for radio Raheem.
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C
Monumental.
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D
Rewatched on a moderately hot day in NYC
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D
i was today years old
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A
Always Do The Right Thing Well it’s a mature, symbolical yet honest & whimsical film. There are many conversations that are being tossed out throughout the film with some thought-provoking ideas, some of them are straight up hilarious. I’m always captivated by the whole african american culture. I love the accent, the style mostly everything about it. This film perfectly captures how this culture is something to be proud of but not to engage in violence. Absolutely loved the moral theme of it. Too many curse words but better moral grounds than most of the films. Overall a fun film that’s mature too Recommended For Sure.
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S
Really good movie great cinematography and directing
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C
“Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love”
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N
Mais wsh Mais wsh Mais wsh S/o Ernest Dickerson
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thank you spike lee
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S
1989!!!!! I did 20 fucking years in the fire hydrant.
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T
youtu.be/eJ_bgq8CCEg?si=yHbJere34orM-t7a
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C
Tra il frastuono delle onde ma senza mare neri surfano ma senza onde in una calda quella sì piatta come un’estate marcita freddato a sangue freddo 13/12 gradi nelle celle carne da macello mentre caldo sgorga nelle strade la coscienza popolare mugugna alle loro spalle rosso il muro si scrosta le anime pure
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S
Sal did nothing wrong
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S
I don’t even call it violence when it’s in self defense; I call it intelligence. — Malcolm X
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Z
this film is one of the most influential films made. everything about this film was amazing.
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A
c’est ultra intelligent comme film sur la montée de la violence et de la haine raciale c’est tellement important ce genre de sujet parce que c’est encore malheureusement trop d’actualité la BO est complètement dingue
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A
american la haine
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J
genius on full display woowww im speechless
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D
It makes you think!
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E
Maybe none of this would’ve happened if Radio L. Jackson started the day with Daniel Larson by 2slimey but oh well whatever Ok on a serious note, why is Spike Lee not at the top of the cast list ?
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V
Another justified reason to hate summer szn
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T
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M
Incoherent and no real story. Supposed to be a comedy but not funny
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A
الريفيو فيه حرق 🚨🚨🚨 White people in this country will have quite enough to do in learning how to accept and love themselves and each other, and when they have achieved this – which will not be tomorrow and may very well be never — the Negro problem will no longer exist, for it will no longer be needed. كنت قريت الجزء ده في كتاب لجيمس بالدوين، وافتكرت إن العنصرية ببساطة مش بس تكون مجرد كراهية الناس المختلفة لبعض(Dna).لكن الفيلم…
20 6 -
A
esta peli es buenísima, el que pintan como el “loco” es el más racional de todos y los únicos que claramente no han hecho lo correcto son los policías
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N
Mi lectura es que esta película trata de ser un espejo en el que mirarse para enseñarnos el camino que no hay que seguir. No pinta a unos de víctima clarísimamente sino que culpa a todos del odio que nos tenemos entre todos.
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F
Your vintage car, whateva happened there
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S
Masterpiece.
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D
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.“ -MLK Jr
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J
Do the Right Thing is one of the greatest movies of all time! I can’t believe that this is my first Spike Lee movie. It is also one of those movies that is one of the most fascinating to me. Fascinating in the message of racism that permeates the film. The message being that our hatred and bigotry causes tragedy(which I will get into later in the review). That our prejudices and stereotyping are way more harmful then they are…
32 9 -
S
Do the Right Thing is such a beautiful anthology of time and space. I didn’t grow up in this time period or in this neighborhood– but the people and places that raised me did. It felt nostalgic to part of my history that is not mine to claim rather the genetic coding that only embeds itself when community is real. Watching any Spike Lee Joint makes me want to speak for hours about the socio-political conditions that make us. However…
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A
I like the part when the shift in tone blew my mind
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T
Great movie. You should definitely check it out.
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D
Yeah this has gotta be the greatest movie of all time. Easily.
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R
Enjoyment 10/10 Thematic prowess 10/10 Observed film Making quality 9/10
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J
Insanely good film. I’m in awe, both from a storytelling and thematic standpoint, as well as a purely technical and artistic standpoint. Absolutely beautiful through and though.
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J
Fight the Power
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S
The saddest thing is that if Spike Lee put this out it would still be relevant. A genuine work of art.
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N
Extra cheese is two dollas
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A
Legit hard to watch. Spike Lee’s character makes objectively bad decisions. No one does the right thing. Everyone is rude to the Italian pizza guy for literally zero reason. I felt nothing but contempt for everyone in this.
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E
Mookie ending conversations with “I’m gone” is so funny and I’m gunna start doing that
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C
The thing that you need to understand about Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing is that there is no right answer to any of the questions you might have. I understand that even the title of the film is a statement on making a decision. But that’s not exactly the point of the film. I too wish I had all the answers to my questions and I also wish I knew which decisions were just and which decisions were unjust.…
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SSaúl Gocha 8 月 22, 2026
“Stay Black.” ” – What do you want to live in a black neighborhood for, anyway, man? Motherfuck gentrification. – As I understand it, this is a free country. A man can live wherever he wants. – Free country? Man, I should fuck you up for saying that dumb shit alone! – Yo man, your Jordans are fucked up!” Mientras el mundo y sus contradicciones persistan, lo que hizo Spike Lee será atemporal.
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M
Admito que me costó un poco la primera hora. Tiene un ritmo un poco lento y sentís que no está llegando a nada, pero después te das cuenta que Spike Lee sólo está poniendo todas las piezas en su lugar lentamente (igual, siento que eso pudo haber sido mejor) para explotar por tu cara con todo lo que tiene para decir. Hay tanto por digerir, tantos matices que tiene la peli. Te pone a cuestionarte cada decisión que haces al…
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M
It was a lot better than Tha 5 Bloods that’s for sure
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R
ok it’s the next day i’m ready to edit this to have commentary. what a fucking pressure cooker of a movie. hot and sticky and truly every character is a little sweaty and uncomfortable. this is a very Outside movie in ways i rlly loved and don’t feel like i get to see often. the only places we spend more than a minute or two inside are sal’s and (to a MUCH lesser extent) tina’s apartment. it does such an…
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M
This movie felt so vibrant and alive. There were a couple laugh-out-loud 80s disses that made me wish people today were more extravagant with their banter. Mook was a great main character, the responsible realist among his friends. I was totally caught off guard when he threw the garbage can thru the pizza restaurant’s window, kicking off the mob trashing of the place. Then he sees Sal the next day to get paid and even though their relationship is irreparably changed, they still respect each other… “I owe you fifty dollars!”
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B
An utter masterpiece and certainly in the conversation for one of the best movies of the 80s.
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X
Love Spike Lee, hasn’t seen this one, but oml does it make up for the bullshit of that Oldboy remake. I love this score so much it’s insane.
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T
every character every relationship every dialogue every identity was so good man sometimes when they tracked the camera and moved it around the characters around i loved it cuz it was just showing the neighbourhood and all the characters and all mayor was so goated bro. the fact raheem’s music still played among the fire and then the framing of smiley with the fire as he tags mlk and malcom x on the wall. chef’s kiss i wish i was…
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F
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L
This felt like watching a play in a way
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M
It’s better than Tha 5 Bloods I can tell you that much
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M
This is a masterpiece. There’s not much more to say about it, it’s just perfect.
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C
Holy shit 🤯 I need some more time to unpack that wow what a movie that certaintly won’t be the last time I watch it!! Spike Lee the genius that you are what a fuckin movie!!
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J
It’s the mothafuckin sun
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A
It’s insane how this movie was made 37 years ago, yet it’s still relevant today
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C
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A
Watching this makes me sweat
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D
Fight the powers that be
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C
Whole house mad
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J
this is the literal greatest film to have ever been made not one aspect of this film is imperfect it is all in place and everything fits. not only is this film still so relevant, it still speaks thousands of words and we all need to sit and listen to it. PLEASE, listen to mister señor love daddy and his wise ass words of wisdom. “YO! HOLD UP TIME OUT, TIIIMEEE OUTT! YALL TAKE A CHILL YALL NEED TO COOL THAT SHIT OUT! AND THATS THE DOUBLE TRUTH, RUTH!”
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S
Elite parallel story line telling
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I
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A
Spike did the right thing with the jersey selection in this movie.
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C
i went into this movie completely blind and felt all the emotions — happiness, joy, nostalgia…and then shock…sadness….anger….solid fucking movie
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I
never forgetting the very first time i watched and despite all the other films i watched, nothing will ever compare to this one. Idc if im over glazing i think entire film perfectly describes america today and the issues forver following in our system.
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O
the writing in this is so smart and so funny. i love when a movie can have such a wide variety of characters and build them all up and progress their personalities so effortlessly, which is especially impressive in this movie because such an important topic is being handled so well. i really loved this a lot
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S
This is one of those movies you hear about, and watch it and completely understand why it is so relevant in film canon and outside of it. Quintessential filmmaking top to bottom.
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W
I, too, would put a scene in my movie where the main character (me) goes home as an excuse to put boobs in the movie
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J
This movie brought out the most intensity from me of any movie I’ve watched in a while. Certainly sparked some interesting post-movie discussion between me and the fam (not me vs the fam, everyone in the fam interacting evenly:). I’m sure the internet is maxed out with discourse and arguments about this peak social commentaryism, but I’m trying not to find out for sure and go down that rabbit hole. Do the right thing, but almost all the characters are…
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LOVE HATE
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C
Prophetic Tragic Hilarious Arguably the greatest film from the 80’s
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N
community racial tensions boiling to a fever pitch on the hottest day of the year oh the cinema
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C
Do The Right Thing has been one of the best movies I’ve watched in recent memory. It is an utter masterclass in tension and how it meticulously builds up the resentment between all of the characters. I think it is a great snapshot of the racial politics of 1989 Brooklyn and one of the best anti racist movies out there. I think a lot of the reason why it is a good anti-racist movie is how racist everyone truly is.…
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G
Very disappointed in Sal and his boys. Glad to say that I’m one of the good ones. 😂
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M
It’s been so long since I watched this movie, it felt like a new viewing. My girlfriend’s never watched it before so I decided it was time. What an epic film, Spike Lee had it off rip. The people that watched this movie and came away with the conclusion that Sal isn’t racist need to be evaluated.
- Synopsis
- Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
- Director
- Spike Lee
- Writer
- Spike Lee
- Studio
- Universal Pictures, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
- Country
- USA
- Language
- English, Italian, Spanish, Korean
- Year
- 1989
- Runtime
- 120 mins
- France19 May 1989
- USA25 Jun 1989
- USA30 Jun 1989
- France14 Jun 1989
- UK23 Jun 1989
- Germany13 Jul 1989
- USA21 Jul 1989
- Netherlands27 Jul 1989
- Argentina31 Aug 1989
- Portugal01 Sep 1989
- Italy17 Nov 1989
- Australia14 Dec 1989
- Japan21 Apr 1990
- USA06 Sep 2006
- USA10 Jan 2012
- USA12 Oct 2017
- USA11 Jan 1990
- USA18 Oct 1995
- USA07 Jul 1998
- USA20 Feb 2001
- Netherlands10 Jun 2004
- UK19 May 2007
- USA30 Jun 2009
- UK06 Jul 2009
- Netherlands09 Oct 2013
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