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 Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writers:

Spike Lee, Victor Colicchio (screenplay)

Stars:

John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino

6 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 Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.

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Plot Keywords:

punk rocker | woman in pose | movie flop | new york city | neighborhood | 

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Taglines:

It Was A Time They'd Never Forget

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two minutes of film were cut, mostly from the club orgy scene, to get an R rating instead of an NC-17.

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Goofs

When Detectives Petrocelli and Atwater sit down at the restaurant their veal portions flip around from sauce to no sauce to back again.

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Quotes

Ruby: Hey, I like the new look. What are you - punk?
Ritchie: Yeah, you should come and see me sometime. Maybe check out the band.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are in the form of newspaper headlines.

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Alternate Versions

After they are refused entry into Studio 54, the sex scene between Dionna (Mira Sorvino) and Vinny (John Leguizamo) included more explicit shots in the original cut. This scene was edited a bit after the MPAA threatened the film with an "NC-17" rating.

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Connections

References Taxi Driver (1976)

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Soundtracks

There But for the Grace of God Go I
(1978)
Music by Kevin Nance
Lyrics by Kid Creole
Performed by Machine
Courtesy of Bocu Music Limited

User Reviews

A Flashy Departure For Spike Lee...

Spike Lee goes berserk with SUMMER OF SAM, a twisted revisiting of the Son of Sam killings, New York, 1977. Lee steps away from his usual message pictures depicting the differences between blacks and whites and plunges us into the small Italian neighborhood within the largest city in the United States that serial killer David Berkowitz terrorized for months. The "Son of Sam" himself (played by Michael Badalucco) is placed in the back seat and Lee presents a community and an era for that matter in complete chaos.

SUMMER OF SAM has its good points and its bad points. We get to know this locale very well whether we like it or not. The characters who populate the neighborhood are funny, sad, and stupid all at the same time. You get a feel for the smells and the language of that time in that place. 1977 was the year of Disco's peak, the uprising of British punk rock (represented well by the Adrien Brody character "Ritchie"), and the Yankees were on top of the baseball world. These characters are truly nuts in their vigilante approach to finding the killer. Hell, Reggie Jackson (#44) may be the .44 caliber killer.

Aside from seeing into a sometimes gripping and stupefying world of violence and flash, the film does go overboard many times. Lee continuously rams the sex aspect of the period into our minds and Berkowitz is not seen or known enough. I did not expect a Berkowitz bio at all, however a more focused look at the killer would have proved more effective. The relationship between "Vinny" and "Dionna" (John Leguizamo and Mira Sirvino) is well-done, but over-told. True, "Vinny" is the movie's central character, but he has barely a redeeming quality and is a hard-headed product of his environment.

The cinematography and overall sound of SUMMER OF SAM is awesome. It looks grimy when it should and the use of The Who on the soundtrack is emotionally rousing, especially during the inevitable climax. I liked the picture mostly for cinematic reasons than for historical or emotional ones. The fictional neighborhood pieces are not as good as the small glimpses of Berkowitz, who does indeed chat with dogs. It did remind me in many ways of Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING, but this film has a larger canvas to paint. It works despite the shortcomings.

RATING: ***

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 USA:

$5,952,452, 4 July 1999

Gross USA:

$19,288,130

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,288,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

142 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1