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Movies / On DVD / Summer of Sam
Summer of Sam

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Summer of Sam (1999)

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Reviews Counted:96

Fresh:48

Rotten:48

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: Spike Lee offers intense visuals but his storytelling feels crowded and overambitious.

Runtime: 2 hrs 22 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: SUMMER OF SAM, Spike Lee's sizzling interpretation of the summer of 1977 in New York City, when thermometers shattered and a serial killer terrorized the city, focuses on an Italian-American... SUMMER OF SAM, Spike Lee's sizzling interpretation of the summer of 1977 in New York City, when thermometers shattered and a serial killer terrorized the city, focuses on an Italian-American community in the Bronx--specifically, Dionna (Mira Sorvino) and Vinny (John Leguizamo), a couple whose marriage is threatened by Vinny's obsession with other women. After Vinny returns home one night to find a killer has murdered two local women, he promises to mend his cheating ways, albeit unsuccessfully. As the media exploits the murders and a blackout threatens to unleash anarchy on the city, its inhabitants begin to look for a scapegoat who will release them from the reign of terror created by the chilling figure known only as the Son of Sam (Michael Badalucco). Lee's ambitious film does more than re-create the events that unfolded during the summer of 1977; in addition to being an entertaining time capsule, it also deals graphically with the concept of the mob mentality. [More]

Starring: John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito

Starring: John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Badalucco, Bebe Neuwirth, Patti LuPone, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Gazzara, John Savage, Jimmy Breslin, Spike Lee, Mark Breland, Evander Holyfield

Director: Spike Lee

Director: Spike Lee
Screenwriter: Michael Imperioli, Victor Colicchio, Spike Lee
Producer: Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Composer: Terence Blanchard

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Summer of Sam

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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A pedestrian-looking mishmash of a movie!

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

Truly spellbinding and powerful.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

Summer of Sam has a genuinely operatic sweep, as Lee succeeds in capturing the madness and dark humor of what, even by New York standards, was a bizarre summer.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ed Kelleher
Ed Kelleher
Film Journal International

Spike Lee is a master at image manipulation!

Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Johnson-Ott
Edward Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly

The performances are almost uniformly excellent!

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Lee is a great filmmaker, often exhibiting kinetic visual flair on par with Brian DePalma and Martin Scorsese and a storytelling ability comparable to Steven Spielberg. But here, he gets himself into a bind.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Even with the slick cinematography and pulsating rock soundtrack, the final product is a big disappointment.

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

A long, loud, scattershot epic!

comment Comment
01/01/00
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Greg Dean Schmitz
Greg Dean Schmitz
Greg's Previews at Yahoo! Movies

With loud music and upfront posturing, it makes for an entertaining, powerful experience at the movies.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/01/00
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

The script, by Lee, Victor Colicchio and Michael Imperioli, is tighter than those for other Lee movies, but it's still too long and too broad.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hillel Italie
Hillel Italie
Associated Press

The elements are there but the movie isn't.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice

Lee's ensemble cast does uniformly fine work, with the often underused Leguizamo as a tremendous standout.

comment Comment
01/01/00
J.J. Tierney
J.J. Tierney
Citysearch

For more than two hours, you can't catch your breath.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Lee does a superb job!

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Furiously enthralling!

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If Lee could swap background with foreground, this would be a sensational film.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jeff Millar
Jeff Millar
Houston Chronicle

Makes you want to go home and shower with some sort of antiseptic cleanser instead of marvel over its artistic merits.

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/01/00
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

A furious muddle of a movie that seems at once overcrowded and underwritten.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
MSNBC
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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