Summer of Sam

Directed by Spike Lee, Summer of Sam follows various characters, including Adrien Brody’s Ritchie, John Leguizamo’s Vinny, and Mira Sorvino’s Dionna, as they go about their lives during the a serial killer’s (Michael Badalucco’s David Berkowitz) NYC-based reign of terror. Filmmaker Lee, armed with a script written alongside Michael Imperioli and Victor Colicchio, delivers an erratically-paced yet mostly compelling drama that benefits from Ellen Kuras’ eye-catching visuals and a series of above-average performances, as, in terms of the latter, Lee elicits superb work from an agreeably eclectic cast that includes, among others, Jennifer Esposito, Anthony LaPaglia, Bebe Neuwirth, and Bebe Neuwirth – with, in particular, Brody, Leguizamo, and Sorvino’s first-class efforts going a long way towards anchoring the proceedings and compensating for its palpable lulls. And while the 142 minute runtime admittedly does result in a few less-than-enthralling tangents, with this particularly true of certain elements within the Vinny and Dionna storyline, Summer of Sam, which is buoyed by several undeniably electrifying sequences and interludes, generally comes off as an entertaining and impressively evocative endeavor that could’ve used a fair amount of streamlining.

*** out of ****