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In my review of The Phantom Menace, I stated how my life was changed in the summer of 1977, by seeing Star Wars for the first time, and being awakened to the magic of the cinema. It was also the second full summer that I can remember details of fairly clearly. Isn’t it odd, how we can be on the planet for so long, and yet our earliest complete memories come about 8-10 years into it? Is this how long it takes for our minds to fully be able to absorb and comprehend events? I am not sure. I do know that I remember, quite clearly, the events of 1977. Being in Kansas, and being 9 years old, I was rather oblivious to the events of the world, and more caught up in playing at the pool, reliving Star Wars, trading baseball cards, and enjoying the lazy hazy days until my 5^th grade year began. But alas, I do remember, vaguely, hearing about the Son of Sam murders in New York, and how a serial killer was basically terrorizing, and striking fear into the heart of a city. The basics, for those unfamiliar with them, are these. New York City was put into a virtual standstill grip of fear, by 8, point blank, brutal murders, ranging from July of 1976, to July of 1977. Eventually, unemployed postal worker David Berkowitz, tripped by a parking ticket, was found to be the so-called "Son of Sam", a servant of the demands of a neighbor's black Labrador retriever. All of these details came out later, and are very chilling, and in all honesty, I cannot even begin to imagine what it was like to live through them.

In Summer of Sam, Spike Lee attempts to recapture the fear, tension, and paranoia that gripped his hometown, during that summer, that also included a blackout, a heatwave, and a championship season by the Yankees. Lee’s best works have typically come from relating to what is closest to him, and showing the effects, rather than focusing on the details. This was his attempted goal here as well, to show how one man’s actions, affected a group of people in a small NYC neighborhood. Lee has shown before that he is a master at developing characters, making you care about them, and allowing you to know them so that you can understand certain actions later. Do The Right Thing is the best example, and in my opinion, still, his best movie to date. Unfortunately, with Summer of Sam, he takes his development, a bit too far, dragging out the details of these characters lives, and focusing less on the actual effects of the danger.

A lot of controversy erupted when Lee decided to make this movie Because it is so fresh in the memories of most involved, it reopened healing wounds in their eyes. Lee reiterated that the film was not necessarily about the killer, but about how what he did, changed peoples lives. The problem I had though, was that the film was at its best, both visually, and emotionally, when Lee did focus on Berkowitz. The imagery, the emotion of Michael Badalucco, and just the sheer power of the scenes, was both disturbing and captivating. Aside from that, the development of the rest of movie, resembles a pot of boiling water on a stove. It simmers, and simmers, but never boils over, always reaching the point of almost boiling, then exploding with a scene involving Berkowitz, followed by a return to stagnation, and simmering. This method continues, on and on, for too long, until it ultimately goes on too long, and begins to get frustrating. I enjoyed the way that Lee let us get to know everyone. Leguizamo, as a less than faithful, hot-tempered party boy, married to the stubbornly beautiful Sorvino, have the main storyline. They are a young married couple, who enjoys partying, and, apparently, enjoy each other. Alas, we find all is not well in their Shangri-La, and this is intensified by the murders. Also, Rispoli, and his gang, of whom Leguizamo is a member, successfully fit the Italian-American stereotypes, of hot-tempered, foul-mouthed, sports-loving loyal friends. They launch their own investigation of whom they suspect, with one mildly humorous example. Backing them, and also in cahoots with police officer LaPaglia, is Gazzara, as a plumber, with some strong family ties. The main suspect of the group is Brody, freshly back to the neighborhood, and sporting a new hairdo, new attitude, a few secrets. Now, armed with this, Lee develops the relationships, interactions, and personalities effectively, but then lingers, and wanders off at times, forgetting that S.O.S is even in the movie, then snapping the characters back into sharply. I believe that he could have shaved about 30 minutes off this movie, by taking out some seemingly unnecessary scenes, and had a more powerful message. The performances are at best effective. No one really stands out, but no is really wasted either. Lee is masterful at getting the most of his cast, without one outshining the other. Leguizamo looks out of place at times, in a dramatic sense, but effective at other times, showing the crumbling, and crushing of a man, by exterior, and interior sources. He and Sorvino do have a chemistry as well, but she seems reduced to looking good, and emitting emotions when called upon, and succeeds in doing such. Each actor does exactly what they are supposed to, no more, no less. Badalucco gives us a mysterious, haunting vision of Berkowitz, and the obscuring of his face for the first half of the movie, adds to the chilling effect of it all.

His scenes are what give the movie it’s power, and that will shock, disturb, and glue your eyes to the screen, despite how much you want to turn away. Save one silly scene involving the dog, these scenes show Lee at his best, using the camera to elicit, and get across an emotion, with little or no dialogue. Also, Lee’s use of music enhances the mood, both of time, and emotion. The Who’s Baba O’Reilly (Teenage Wasteland), backs a powerful murder sequence combination with Brody’s guitar solo

Actor and movie information courtesy of the Internet Movie Database

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