REVIEWS

"SUMMER OF SAM"

Spike Lee is probably the most controversial filmmaker alive today. Some people love him, some people hate him, but NOBODY can say that he's a bad filmmaker. Sure, you may say you don't like his movies, but that's not the same thing. Since 1986, Spike Lee has directed a feature film just about every single year... sometimes even twice a year. I've seen all but three: "Girl 6" (the only movie directed by Spike Lee that has gotten mostly negative reviews), "Get on the Bus" (which I WILL see eventually), and his Oscar nominated documentary, "4 Little Girls" (another one that I'll see eventually). Of the Spike Lee movies I HAVE seen (this movie being the tenth), I've never been let down. He's a filmmaker who can always be relied on to make a really good movie. "Summer of Sam" continues that tradition.

Something that needs to be stated up front is that this movie is NOT about the "Son of Sam" serial killer. It's a fictional story about the lives of those who were INDIRECTLY affected by him. Those looking for a grisly biopic will be disappointed. This is NOT "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" (which is an excellent movie), it's completely different.

"Summer of Sam" features mostly Italian-American characters, and Spike Lee definitely made sure that you knew that. It was almost cartoony how stereotypically Italian they were, but no more so than "GoodFellas" (one of my favorite movies of all-time). The cast is a good one, but the weak link is probably John Leguizamo. He's the male lead in the movie, and I think he was miscast. He acted well, but he just seemed as though he didn't belong. Adrian Brody (from the lame "The Thin Red Line") was excellent as the punk rock Brit wanna-be. Mira Sorvino was absolutely perfect. She looked great, she played the part beautifully... it was a nice reminder of why she's an Oscar winner. Jennifer Esposito (from "Spin City") was really good, and Ben Gazzara was really awesome as the mafia guy. As for the role of the "Son of Sam" killer, it was played wonderfully by Michael Badalucco (from ABC's "The Practice," and he played Natalie Portman's father in "The Professional").

The script was originally written by Victor Colicchio and Michael Imperioli (remember "Spider" from "GoodFellas"? Same guy... and he plays a role in this movie, too), and then Spike Lee gave it a rewrite. It's a good script, but the ending really needed to be fixed. Spike Lee is notorious for ending his movies on an odd, even surreal note. In the case of "Summer of Sam," it sorta ends before the story is finished, and that's the movie's biggest flaw.

A lot has been written about this being Spike Lee's first movie with a mostly white cast. That's a stupid non-issue, if you ask me. Besides, this movie is very much a Spike Lee film (or "A Spike Lee Joint," as he likes to call it)... it's apparent throughout. Also, there has been lotsa talk about this movie just barely getting an R-rating, almost getting the dreaded NC-17. There wasn't as much violence in the movie as there could have been, but there were a few steamy sex scenes... and there WAS some obvious cutting. I'd be curious to see a director's cut. But despite that, despite the casting of John Leguizamo, and despite the disappointing ending, I strongly recommend this movie. This is a another really good movie by a great filmmaker.

Scale of 1-10: 8