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. A gang makes a list of everyone they think is a freak-o. The witch-hunt is on, with an aspiring punk rocker becoming the focus of their suspicion and an easy scapegoat for their fears.
1 December 1982, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
18 May 1946, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, USA
28 February 1947, Los Angeles, California, USA
26 August 1957, Brattleboro, Vermont, USA
1971, Costa Mesa, California, USA
31 January 1959, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
25 November 1960, New York City, New York, USA
7 February 1971, White Plains, New York, USA
27 March 1959, New York City, New York, USA
13 November 1926, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
28 September 1967, New York City, New York, USA
28 February 1957, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
11 April 1973, New York City, New York, USA
22 June 1962, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
9 September 1950, New York City, New York, USA
31 March 1974
20 December 1954, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
June 30, 2016
A deliberately overblown MEAN STREETS parody
June 24, 2006
Trouble is, the overlong narrative, however entertaining from minute to minute, is a mess.
March 22, 2002
The disappointment with Summer of Sam is not that it's exploitative; it's just difficult to figure out what it's supposed to be about.
September 23, 2008
Like most of Lee's work, this bites off more than it can chew, but the breadth and energy are impressive.
February 14, 2001
Lee is a powerful filmmaker who certainly knows how to have an impact on an audience, but those who survive his ministrations are likely to wonder if in this case the battle was worth the bruises.
May 26, 2006
I needed stronger and more balanced characters to really care what happened.
December 06, 2005
Whatever you think of Spike Lee, when he has the faith in his talent and material and is able to be political without the dogma, he's one of the best filmmakers to come out of America in the 1980's.
August 07, 2008
The film is sloppy and ill-formed, its tone lurching drunkenly from turgid soap opera to soft-core porn, descending at times to low camp.
September 23, 2008
This ultimately disappoints, but it is good to see Lee branch out into subjects which don't immediately lend themselves to his single-minded politicizing.
April 09, 2005
Lee does capture the terror a serial killer can wreak upon the community, but his concentration on the weak characters hurts in the long run.
April 27, 2007
This is trashy exploitation at its clumsiest. Once more, a Spike Lee movie has been undone by the earnestness of being important.
January 01, 2000
Summer of Sam scatters most of its force by straying far from the compelling, plenty-complex business at hand.
