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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Video
Salesrank: 14491
Released: December 21, 1999 |
| Our Price: $4.94 |
| Used Price: $2.99 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
In the summer of 1977 in New York City, a man called the Son of Sam commits numerous murders. As friends in a small Italian neighborhood become obsessed with the idea that the Son of Sam is someone nearby, the madman's plague of terror becomes the catalyst that prompts relationships to fall apart and trust to disintegrate into dread.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 5-AUG-2003
Media Type: DVD
Description of Summer of Sam:
It's important to note that Spike Lee's drama is not titled Son of Sam. Summer of Sam doesn't chronicle the killer as much as the times: the blistering hot summer of 1977 when the Big Apple's psyche was taken hostage by the lone gunman. We spot the killer (Michael Badalucco) in his mad ramblings, but the film centers on two friends from the Bronx: Vinny and Ritchie (John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody). Vinny and his wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino), bury a bad marriage (he cheats at a drop of a hat) in the disco halls of the area. Ritchie returns to the neighborhood sporting punk hair, punk clothes, and a British accent that immediately infuriates the neighborhood boys oozing far too much testosterone. Cops, local mob leaders, and the guys on the street all have ideas who the killer is; neighborhood loners to Reggie Jackson (in the midst of World Series heroism) are on their misguided lists of suspects. When the film looks at how the citizens faced the fearful times, Lee scores with his energetic camerawork and pop soundtrack. Yet the film is banal in its domestic dramatics. The film takes large detours into Vinny's home sex life (stagnant) and Ritchie's extracurricular activities. One of the marriage arguments--though real and well acted--is so long and cliché-ridden you wonder if someone fell asleep in the editing booth. Add the point-blank killings and nonstop vulgarity and you have Lee's most unpleasant film. --Doug Thomas
Summer of Sam Reviews:
Mostly Spot On 
2009-10-11 - Q: Is the movie based on time-worn stereotypes?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it enjoyable nonetheless?
A: Yes, it really engages the viewer. I think the plot moves well with a wide range of characters and subplots and all sorts of vignettes. The complexity is great.
Q: Should you see the movie if you want to know more about New York City's historic summer of 1977?
A: Yes. It has CBGB's, Studio 54, disco, the Yankees, Jimmy Breslin, Plato's Retreat, hot temperatures, Jim Jensen (the newscaster), gay guys, slices of pizza, and Son of Sam. The Son of Sam parts seem very factual. For example, the movie uses the real letters that David Berkowitz sent to Jimmy Breslin and the NY Post.
Q: Why the 4 stars? What's wrong with the movie?
A: Spike Lee takes on a stupid, impossible-to-believe cameo role. He plays a Channel 7 news reporter, but his slow speech rate and bumbling reporting style would never have gotten him the position on the real Channel 7. He looks straight into the camera with a smirk on his face, all ego, mumbling his words, distracting the viewer from an otherwise engaging story. Stoopid and dum-dum.
A somewhat repulsive film 
2009-07-20 - I found this film a bit repulsive and not really that informative of the 'Son of Sam' murders. I generally really like Spike Lee films but this was not one of his best. If you really want to understand the times and the topic, read "The Bronx is Burning: 1977, Baseball, Politics and the Battle for the Soul of a City" by Jonathen Mahler. You can't do better than that.
summer of sam 
2009-04-02 - It was an ok movie. Had been awhile since I have seen it. Not as good as i remember it but ok nonetheless. The best thing that I liked about this movies was the music. When i watched this movie years ago i went out and bought the soundtrack. If ur a fan of old-school 70's disco music pick up the soundtrack. I promise that you will enjoy. As far as the movie its give or take. Has a few good scenes but its not my favorite Spike Lee movie but a good effort.
underappreciated but very interesting
2009-02-09 - i think most people are turned off this movie primarily because it is not what they expected to see. if you see this movie expecting say 'silence of the lambs' or 'seven' then you are bound to be disappointed. rather if you see this movie as a typical spike lee movie which abounds in study of conflicts in emotions/cultures/life etc you will be rewarded. the movie is not about the serial killer 'son of sam' - rather it is about the lives of a bunch of people who lived during that time and were affected in peripheral ways due to the killings. this movie deals with multiple issues mostly psychological - marital woes, forbidden lust, infidelity, moral decay, societal paranoia, fear/prejudice of the unusual etc. it is a great and interesting movie. amidst all this is a really funny scene too - of 'mister' black dog appearing and commanding the son of sam to kill and kill and kill. to which he ofcourse bows in reverence : 'yes master'!
One of the WORST,most worthless films ever made 
2009-01-04 - A hateful, unwatchable abortion of a movie--Who green-lighted this piece of trash and WHY? Awful story, script, direction, characters--I think this was the only time I was actually made ILL by how awful a film was--I would have walked out, but I was in the company of other "victims" at the theatre and didn't feel like HITCHIKING, or I would have! Spike Lee owes the patrons of this miserable waste of filmstock a refund (and punitive damages) A disgrace to Hollywood and even the decade of the 70's--one thing worse than sitting through this film would have been getting shot by David Berkowitz--S-U-C-K-S! Spikey went on to make other horrible films like BAMBOOZLED. Someone take his movie camera away!!
