Summer of Sam (1999)

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:

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

Awards:

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

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) | Italy:VM14 | 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:

Director Cameo: [Spike Lee]a news reporter.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In one scene of dealing you can see a box of Marlboro lights. Also, the Marlboros include coupons for the "Marlboro Miles" program first introduced in the 1990s.

Quotes:

[Dog is barking and the Son of Sam is sobbing and trembling]
Son of Sam: How did you get in here? Leave me alone! What do you want?
Harvey the Black Dog: I want you to go out and kill. Kill.
Son of Sam: No -
Harvey the Black Dog: Kill!
[the Son of Sam is still trembling]
Harvey the Black Dog: KILL!
Son of Sam: [murmurs something inaudible] I will kill. I will... I'll do anything you say. I'll do anything you say! Yes, master! I will kill! I WILL KILL!

Movie Connections:

References Dead End (1937)

Soundtrack:

Let's All Chant

The Son of Sam story is an effective backdrop

I really enjoyed this movie. The Son of Sam killings are just a backdrop to a slice-of-life story in New York City in the summer of 1977. I believe that Spike Lee wanted to tell a story about the seventies - the excesses of sex, drugs and the desperation of the times. He chose a summer that stood out in the minds of the people who lived through it because of the record heat, the murders and the blackout. The Son of Sam killer was in one sense a strongly contrasting back drop and in another sense an extreme sign of the times. David Berkowitz was out of control and driven by invisible demons, but that could be said of the main character Vinnie. The difference between the two could almost be reduced to a matter of degree. I was struck by the part of the story where a group of friends thought the killer was one of their own because he was into punk rock and same-sex sex for money. Their misunderstanding of the killer seemed startling in light of what we know about serial killers today, but was dead on for the time. Spike Lee reminds us with this movie how much damage is done when we allow ourselves to be driven by our ignorance and fear. He makes us uncomfortable, of course, but the lesson rings so true. As far as the direction went, I thought that it was classic Spike Lee with a little taken from some other popular young directors, but if someone imitates something good and does it well, I don't complain. My favorite scene is where the punk rocker character Richie does a porno dance to The Who. The soundtrack is also pretty good, by the way. I gave the movie a 9 out of 10.