Summer of Sam (1999)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Victor Colicchio (written by) &
Michael Imperioli (written by) ...

Release Date:

2 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The summer of '77 was a killer........

Plot:

Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American South Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another. |

Plot Keywords:

Distrust | Italian American | Fear | Murder | New York City

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

John Leguizamo	...	Vinny
Adrien Brody	...	Richie
Mira Sorvino	...	Dionna
Jennifer Esposito	...	Ruby
Michael Rispoli	...	Joey T
Saverio Guerra	...	Woodstock
Brian Tarantina	...	Bobby Del Fiore
Al Palagonia	...	Anthony
Ken Garito	...	Brian
Bebe Neuwirth	...	Gloria
Patti LuPone	...	Helen
Mike Starr	...	Eddie
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Detective Lou Petrocelli
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Detective Curt Atwater
Ben Gazzara	...	Luigi

Also Known As:

The Son of Sam (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence and sexuality, pervasive strong language and drug use.

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #36756) | Iceland:16 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Singapore:R21 (cut) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Japan:R-15 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Philippines:R-18

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Trivia:

The "I am the monster" letters read in the film are word-for-word recreations of those that the real Son of Sam wrote to Jimmy Breslin.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Son of Sam killer is shown wearing a camouflage field jacket which has on the left breast a black Velcro backing designed to hold a removable "Aircrew" style ID patch. This was exclusively issued to US Air Force personnel in the early to mid-'90s.

Quotes:

The Dog: Kill. Kill. Kill.

Movie Connections:

References Dead End (1937)

Soundtrack:

Boogie Nights

This movie is excellent. Hands down.

This is one of Spike Lee's greatest films. To start, the acting is incredible. Leguizamo and Sorvino, as well as the other actors, give amazing performances grounded in emotion and realism. The story is enthralling, and incredibly original. It pits the people of New York City in the seventies against their fears, desires and each other. Also Ellen Kuras's cinematography is beautiful. It employs an expressionistic use of color, giving the film a very unique and very different look, creating stark contrasts between hues. Any fan of Spike Lee's who hasn't yet seen this film must, and anyone else who hasn't should. It is brilliant, simply brilliant.