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Summer of Sam

Play trailer Poster for Summer of Sam R Released Jul 2, 1999 2h 22m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 104 Reviews 60% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
During the summer of 1977, a killer known as the Son of Sam keeps all of New York City on edge with a series of brutal murders. The philandering Vinny (John Leguizamo) unwittingly almost becomes a victim of the psychopath, and soon he and numerous people in his orbit -- including his wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino), his punk-rocker friend, Ritchie (Adrien Brody), and aspiring porn star Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) -- are trying to figure out the identity of the killer, before it's too late.
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Summer of Sam

Summer of Sam

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer ...a scorching melodrama about childhood friends-played by John Leguizamo and Adrien Brody-whose relationship reaches an emotional boiling point. Mar 25, 2019 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Summer of Sam, for all its flash and well-crafted fury, is only superficially disturbing. It's a nightmare stroll down memory lane: feel-bad nostalgia. Mar 2, 2018 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Like most of Lee's work, this bites off more than it can chew, but the breadth and energy are impressive. Sep 23, 2008 Full Review Leonardo Garcia Tsao La Jornada Lee doesn't manage to thread the diverse anecdotes into a cohesive narrative. [Full review in Spanish] Sep 6, 2022 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Spike Lee exhausts his bag of tricks, trying to keep the energy level up, and parts of the movie are affecting or exciting. But after a while you grow weary of being pelted with the director’s pyrotechnics. Rated: C- Sep 2, 2022 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Never quite pays off, with stilted dialoguing plaguing otherwise fine performances from Mira Sorvino and John Leguizamo. Rated: 1/5 Aug 10, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Isa B I love the opening sequences of this film. However, it got increasingly worse as the film progressed. Before it reached the halfway point, it was already clear that is was irredeemably awful. I couldn't always take the acting seriously. At times, it seemed contrived. The actor playing Son of Sam was hardly convincing. He seemed more like a character from a bad comedy than a vicious serial killer. Certain elements of the plot seemed a bit farfetched. I didn't always know where the story was going or if I even cared. I do not recommend Summer of Sam. 59/100 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Matthew S Great movie. Great cast. You can just feel the heat wave and the pressure of that summer building while watching the movie. John leguizamo is awesome in this movie! Another Spike Lee classic Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review Ryan B The reviews for this surprise me. I found this movie to be an intriguing mesh of love, desire, loyalty, fear and pain as the characters navigate their lives and issues with the looming presence of Sam hanging over all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Tom G Biggest heap of garbage ever, the title is so misleading, Son of Sam is only a small background part in this badly written and acted film of sex crazed brain dead Italian gang continually arguing and fighting. Doesn't even deserve a rating. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/05/24 Full Review Marcus P He does show an honest depiction of people at their worst. It's just so obviously spiteful. Is there anyone more overrated than spike lee? The guy is just terrible at everything. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 04/14/24 Full Review Dominique W An unfairly judged film worthy of critical reappraisal. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Summer of Sam

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Summer of Sam

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Movie Info

Synopsis During the summer of 1977, a killer known as the Son of Sam keeps all of New York City on edge with a series of brutal murders. The philandering Vinny (John Leguizamo) unwittingly almost becomes a victim of the psychopath, and soon he and numerous people in his orbit -- including his wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino), his punk-rocker friend, Ritchie (Adrien Brody), and aspiring porn star Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) -- are trying to figure out the identity of the killer, before it's too late.
Director
Spike Lee
Producer
Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Screenwriter
Victor Colicchio, Spike Lee, Michael Imperioli
Distributor
MFA Filmdistribution [de], Opening Distribution, Downtown Pictures [gb], Buena Vista International [us], Touchstone Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures, New Films International
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 2, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$19.3M
Runtime
2h 22m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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