Summer of Sam Review
by Akiva Gottlieb (akiva AT excite DOT com)July 30th, 1999
Summer Of Sam ***
rated R
Touchstone Pictures
141 minutes
starring John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito, Ben Gazzara, Bebe Neuwirth, Anthony LaPaglia, Mike Starr, John Savage written by Victor Colicchio, Michael Imperioli and Spike Lee directed by Spike Lee
I'm not a big Spike Lee fan. He has continuously made racist remarks on the Holocaust, and the characters in his films are often racist caricatures. I don't know Spike Lee personally, so I don't want to call him a racist, but what, exactly, does he stand for? Not for racial tolerance, certainly not for African-Americans, and not really for himself either. Lee, while being quite inconsistent, has made some fine films("Do The Right Thing", "Malcolm X"), but none of the messages have been too similar. "Do The Right Thing" ends in a race riot, but is followed by anti-violence quotes from Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Spike Lee may not be a hypocrite, and his films may not be morally ambiguous, but he needs to get his messages clear, because I just don't recognize them.
The latest Spike Lee Joint, entitled "Summer Of Sam", seems like a departure from his usual social commentary on race relations. There is not a single black main role, as Lee has chosen to infiltrate the cast with poorly conceived Italian-American characters. But in later scenes, Lee also shows a cross-section of African-Americans; all
uneducated.
"Summer Of Sam" is referring to the summer of '77, when serial killer David Berkowitz(a.k.a. Son Of Sam) commited close to 10 murders of young New York City couples; targeting those with shoulder-length brown hair. As journalist Jimmy Breslin tells us, it's just one of the millions of stories that happen in NYC every day.
John Leguizamo plays Vinny, a married man who hasn't been too faithful to his innocent wife, Dionna(Mira Sorvino). One night, while cheating on his wife, he catches a peek at the Son Of Sam after he has just commited a murder, and he becomes paranoid that the .44 killer will strike him next. His best friend, Ritchie(Adrien Brody), is a NYC punk complete with mohawk and British accent, and is the town's first Son Of Sam suspect.
When a mob boss(Ben Gazzara) decides that the cops aren't doing a good job on the case, he decides to give out a larger reward for whoever can get him the Son Of Sam. Then, a heat wave knocks out all power, and the hunt for Son Of Sam is in overdrive.
Although Spike Lee has provided us with a very entertaining 141 minutes, he doesn't get to touch upon all of his ambitious subjects in the film. At times, I was unsure of where "Summer Of Sam" was headed, but Lee packs enough energy to make the film a dynamic powerhouse. John Leguizamo and Adrien Brody are each terrific, while the other actors take on supporting roles.
Spike Lee takes on Scorsese territory in this film, and he also borrows a bit from Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights". While "Summer Of Sam" has all the components of a cool movie(the 70's, NYC, punk rock, the Mob, serial killer), the formula doesn't always add up. Also, Lee doesn't stop using excessive sex, violence and drug use; a tactic that ruined "He Got Game", but fits in to the era here.
Despite the many flaws of "Summer Of Sam", what I liked most was the improbable premise; that New York could be turned upside down because of one lunatic. While I still don't like Spike Lee, I must say that I recommend this film to any guy who likes "GoodFellas" or "Boogie Nights". Overly ambitious, overwrought and in overdrive.
note: Adrien Brody; what a nice guy.
a review by Akiva Gottlieb, The Teenage Movie Critic
[email protected]
http://teenagemoviecritic.8m.com
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