Spike Lee’s masterpiece captures the hottest day of the summer turning “everyday” class and racial tensions into a political pressure cooker that is still as relevant in 2025 as it was in 1989. The camera moves, and the performers shine with a vibrancy that other filmmakers have been chasing for over thirty years, to no avail.

Set on a hot summer day in Brooklyn, this crime thriller is based upon a true story. A heist goes wrong, and all of a sudden two thieves (Al Pacino and John Cazale) are stuck holding hostages in a sweltering bank.

Set in sweltering South Florida, the film’s noir elements unravel in a manner heavily inspired by Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity. Like many classic American noirs, our main character, played by William Hurt, meets an irresistible woman and soon finds himself in a fiery plot.