Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageSummer of Sam (1999)
Director: Spike Lee
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This is less about the 1977 exploits of serial killer 'Son of Sam' and more about the tensions that concurrently arise in an Italian-American New York neighbourhood: not only does a local Capo's decision to rid the 'hood of the murderous scourge through vigilante methods foster paranoia, suspicion and violence, but the culture clash between macho wiseguys and gays, disco straights and a punk just back from England results in a scenario not so very different from Do the Right Thing. Trouble is, the overlong narrative, however entertaining from minute to minute, is a mess: Sam's (sometimes comically depicted) reign of terror sheds no light on the dynamics of society at large, the characterisation is uneven, and there are a few too many stereotypes on view for comfort - Italian-Americans, especially, may not applaud the almost blanket depiction of them as violently homophobic, misogynist boors.Author: GA
Cast & crew
Director: Spike Lee
Producer: Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Cast: John Leguizamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer Esposito, Anthony LaPaglia, Ben Gazzara, John Savage, Spike Lee full cast
Duration: 142 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Ang Lee talks 'Taking Woodstock'
Ang Lee talks to Tom Huddleston about his tale of the men behind history’s greatest music festival
Sheffield Doc/Fest round-up
Sheffield’s annual Doc/Fest is Britain’s largest documentary festival. Edward Lawrenson learnt a few new things by taking the train north.
Hippies who work for The Man
To celebrate George Clooney comedy 'The Men who Stare at Goats', we look back at six memorable onscreen hippies who fought the system from within
Roland Emmerich's guide to disaster movies
Ahead of the release of '2012', Roland Emmerich offers his ten tips on creating the perfect global catastrophe
Grant Heslov: interview
Grant Heslov, director of 'The Men who Stare at Goats' talks about his old pal George Clooney, his interest in the paranormal, and his fond memories of working on 'Happy Days'
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Ten inspirations behind 'Avatar'?
Time Out ponders the influences behind James Cameron's anticipated space-opera on the basis of the trailer
Michael Haneke: The man behind the menace
From Cannes to Munich to London, Dave Calhoun tours Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner, 'The White Ribbon'
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now