Summer of Sam (1999)

Short: Vinny (John Leguizamo) becomes convinced that the Son of Sam killer has seen him and will come after him, all the while trying to deal with his issues of sexuality concerning his wife, Dionna (Mira Sorvino). His life is juxtaposed with that of his friend Richie (Adrien Brody) and his relationship with his girlfriend, Ruby (Jennifer Esposito).

Okay, I admit that I was initially misled by this movie. I was convinced that I had read somewhere that Leguizamo was the Son of Sam in the movie, and I was very afraid to watch it. As it turns out, he is not the killer, but the movie is scary nonetheless. Sexuality and violence play large roles in the film. Even so, it was gratuitous for my tastes. Just a forewarning.

While I very much enjoy a Spike Lee joint, I felt cheated by this movie in some way. Not because of my misconceptions about the plot/characters, but I know that I have seen better Spike Lee joints that this one. I'm not saying that I expect every movie to be Malcolm X, but I know he can do better. Does that make sense?

He brings out brilliant performances in his stars, working the under-appreciated Leguizamo and the talented Brody to near perfection. Sorvino and Esposito are also quite talented, and the movie can seem a bit overwhelming while watching their performances.

Somewhere in all Lee's movies, I find, is this undercurrent of what negative emotion does to people. Do you know what I mean? The effect guilt, hate, jealousy has on the psyche, so to speak. He does a lot with hate and fear in this film, and it can be a lot to take in.

Oh, I just found out that creepy John Turturro is the voice of the dog. That makes sense.

Boiled down, the film is about identity crises. The thing is, though, Lee takes that idea a bit too far. The film comes across as an identity crisis. The performances are impressive, script and direction well done, but there's a certain lack of coherence to it all. And you feel it when it's done. You feel like you want . . . something more.