Summer of Sam

Summer of Sam (1999)

  • 50% of critics liked it
    (96 reviews)

  • 59% of users liked it
    (31,360 ratings)

In the summer of 1977, a serial killer who called himself Son of Sam (real name David Berkowitz) held New York City in terror as he went on a killing spree, periodically writing letters to New York's media in which he took full responsibility for the murders and made clear that he intended to kill… More

R, 2 hr. 22 min.
Directed By
Spike Lee
Written By
Michael Imperioli, Victor Colicchio, Spike Lee
Genres
Mystery & Suspense, Drama
In Theaters
Jul 2, 1999 Wide
On DVD
Aug 28, 2001
Touchtone Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • 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.

  • Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

    This is trashy exploitation at its clumsiest. Once more, a Spike Lee movie has been undone by the earnestness of being important.

  • Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

    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.

  • Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

    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.

  • Peter Brunette, Film.com

    Lee's just not a good enough filmmaker - and finally, not smart enough - to achieve the grand statements that he's apparently after.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Emily A


    Know what? I bet that Spike Lee would make a really brilliant zombie movie. He really excels at crafting stories about groups of characters caught in circumstances that bring out the worst in everyone. This movie reminds me a lot of Do The Right Thing, but it's made twelve years… More

  • Christopher H


    On a scene by scene basis this film is alright, but it is a mess when taken as a whole. It's like the filmmakers came in with twenty ideas and a clumsy script that does not fully develop any of them. This leaves confusion as to what message Spike Lee was trying to convey.… More

  • Conner R


    Probably one of Spike Lee's best movies. The story is so engaging and powerful. It touches on so many subjects of the time regarding race, creed, gender, sexuality and psycho killers without becoming bloated and boring. John Leguizamo and Adrien Brody gave amazing performances as… More

  • Anthony L


    The first film of a new direction from Spike Lee. Summer of Sam deals with a dark chapter in American history, focusing on American society. It's certainly Lee's most engaging film, the slow but sturdy build up to the explosive finale is so intense its exhausting. A… More

  • Aaron N


    Ritchie: All right. What do you want me to tell you? Get a fuckin' divorce, then. Vinny: Divorce is fuckin' evil, Ritchie. You got some fuckin' really bad advice. Ritchie: Evil spelled backwards is live. Vinny: You're a corny fuck, you know that? A Spike Lee… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

See full cast

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