Summer of Sam (1999)

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.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Victor Colicchio, Michael Imperioli,

Stars:

John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | fear | italian american | new york city | distrust | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

2 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Son of Sam

Filming Locations:

Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£173,471 (UK) (14 January 2000)

Gross:

£173,471 (UK) (14 January 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Touchstone Pictures, Hostage Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spike Lee:  a news reporter.

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Goofs

Berkowitz removes the ticket from his car, yet he is caught because he is seen driving away with a ticket on his windshield.

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Quotes

Vinny: [crying] And I've made some bad calls, and I'm a bad fuckin' husband. And I admit it. And I know you can't get away with shit in life anymore. You know, God sees everything, plain and simple... and I just want you to give me another chance.
Dionna: No.
Vinny: Please, baby. Give me another chance. I can't live without you- please.
Dionna: [crying] You can't bring God into this. You can't do that anymore...

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Crazy Credits

The credits are in the form of newspaper headlines.

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Connections

References Dead End (1937)

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Soundtracks

"Won't Get Fooled Again"
(1971)
Written by Pete Townshend
Performed by The Who
Courtesy of MCA Records and Polydor Limited
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

You can almost feel the heat and dirt on your clothes as if you were right there in hot New York City

With films like 'Inside Man' and the upcoming 'Selling Time', it appears as though Spike Lee is departing from his gritty streetwise films on racial prejudice, and into the pleasant commercial world of Hollywood. He stills touches upon the odd racial issue today, as is his trademark, but they seem more like mandatory inclusions than anything else, being left unexplored and unimportant. This is not saying Summer of Sam is a lecture on racism or anything (in fact, it steers away from the topic), but it fits the gritty crime-infested streets style that Lee used to do so well.

Summer of Sam brutally zooms in on an Italian-American South Bronx neighbourhood in the summer of 1977 -- the hottest summer ever, a real killer. Lee does not shy away from sex, drugs, raunchy dialogue or violence in his portrayal of the events which are based on reality of the summer nights when Sam murdered women on the streets. As the Bronx inhabitants grow anxious and suspicious of the murders, Summer of Sam focuses its story on Vinny (John Lequizamo), his marriage with Dionna (Mira Sorvino) and his friends and we see how the killings affect their lives, while plating the "Son of Sam" himself in the backseat to make room for these dynamic characters.

I can admit that there is no strong point or focus in this film, but I don't think it's entirely necessary. It's a portrayal, and a realistic one at that -- it is also a portrayal of an era, the 1970s and this is most apparent in the flashy 54-styled nightclubs that Vinny and Dionna go to. It occasionally drags on, but this is good because it emphasizes the terrible heat and anxiousness of the city, making it almost nightmarish. It is so realistic that you can almost feel the heat and dirt on your clothes as if you were right there in steaming hot New York City. I therefore feel that a great deal of praise is due to a film that succeeds in being haunting without actually dealing with the murders head-on.

8/10