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Starring John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito, Ben Gazzarra, Patti
Lupone, Anthony Lapaglia, Michael Badalucco, Bebe Neuwirth. Written and directed by Spike Lee.
It is the summer of 1977. Disco is hot, the New York Yankees are hot, and New York City is experiencing one of the hottest summers on record. And the 44 Calibre Killer is on the loose killing brunettes, alone or in the car with their boyfriends making out. Later sending a letter to columnist Jimmy Breslin calling himself the Son of Sam, David Berkowitz (Badalucco, Jimmy from The Practice) is an overweight, sweating pig of a man bouncing around his apartment walls tormented by the bark of a dog in his head telling him to kill. One night early in his spree, he kills a young couple in Brooklyn. Vinny (Leguizamo), God's gift to women and his slightly ditzy wife Dionna (Sorvino) see the crime scene after coming back from the disco, with Vinny puking at the side of the car because he had snuck out to bang Dionna's cousin on the exact same street earlier that evening. The next day Vinny's old buddy Ritchie (Brody) arrives back in town, equipped with the latest spiked haircut and punk accessories. An old flame (Esposito) likes his new style, and they hook up again. Ritchie's new step dad wants his privacy so his Mom (Lupone) has Ritchie go live in the garage. His part-time work as a stripper at a gay strip joint, and weird new lifestyle convince some in the neighbourhood that Ritchie is a prime suspect to be the Son Of Sam. A local boy gone cop (Lapaglia) seeks the help of the neighbourhood mob boss (Gazzarra) he has busted in the past to help him find the Son Of Sam. Soon people are suspecting each other of knowing or being the feared serial killer, and it all comes to head the night Berkowitz is captured. The film is being marketed as a bit of an exploitation flick, to the point where Touchstone Pictures was planning to use local serial killers to help market the film, such as sicko Paul Bernardo in Ontario. But it is not really exploitive at all. The title may be about the Son Of Sam, but there is very little about the murders, and the reasons behind his psychotic shooting spree. Except, he does introduce a cheesy talking dog egging on Berkowitz to kill, which evokes laughter instead of fear or horror. The violence is not as bad as it could be - the murders are bloody and intense - but they occur quickly and primarily to ratchett up the tension in the Brooklyn neighbourhood. The film is really about the increasing tension in the neighbourhood, and how friends and neighbours begin to turn on each other in suspecting anyone who looks a little different, or acts a little weird. Coming from Spike Lee, the soundtrack is a surprising, but very appropriate mix of disco, rock and punk, including the very effective use of the Who's classic Won't Get Fooled Again in the climax scene near the end of the film. As with any Spike Lee film, there are liberal doses of swearing, to the point of annoyance after awhile. Despite that, one of the most compelling scenes involves Dionna and Vinny driving home after taking part in a wild sex party, and Vinny complaining about her participation in activities with another girl. Well, Dionna lets him have it, cursing like a sailor. Perhaps, the sight of the classy and usually goody two-shoes Sorvino spewing forth the foul language gives it additional potency. Unfortunately, Lee dwells way too much on the lives and thoughts of the Italian-stallion cementheads who work for the local mob boss. The film also tries to deal with too much, bringing in extraneous plots and details unnecessary to the telling of the story. Drug use, wild orgies, baseball, disco dancefests, punk concerts and much more are tossed into the mix and by the end, the excess is a bit too much. A shorter, tighter story without much of the extraneous stuff would have helped a lot. The performances are generally solid, but occasionally fall into the stereotypical, which is the fault of the script as much as the actors. Often, it feels as if they actors are just acting, instead of being flesh and blood people. Standing out are Sorvino, as the eager to please wife who does almost anything to please her man. Brody is surprisingly sympathetic as the misguided and confused punker who will do any sleazy thing to make a few buck to support his guitar habit. Esposito is also very sympathetic as the bad girl who displays more decency and common sense than the neighbourhood guys who look down on her trampy ways. And Gazzarra is quite good as the down to earth mob boss who tries to protect his neighbourhood when the cops can't seem to find the killer. And Lee provides a funny cameo as a sensationalist journalist accused by some black residents of not liking blacks. The goals of Summer Of Sam are laudable, but their inadequate execution make this film less compelling than Lee's classic Do The Right Thing. However, it is still worthwhile viewing.  
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