Top Ten Serial Killer Films. #6
Originally published at Reel Life >> Are you Living Yours?. Please leave any comments there.
#6 - Summer of Sam
In the summer of 1977 New York City was being terrorized by the Son of Sam killer, David Berkowitz. For almost a year, Berkowitz had eluded police while killing at random. 22 years after Berkowitz was arrested, director Spike Lee gave audiences his take on the “Summer of Sam”.
Lee’s film, starring Adrien Brody, John Leguizamo & Mira Sorvino, centers around a Italian-American neighbourhood in South Bronx. As the murders continue, the group or residents begin to grow suspicious of each other.
The beauty of Spike Lee’s film is that it does not focus on Berkowitz, but rather uses him as the catalyst to show the decaying relationships of the main characters. “Summer of Sam” is much different than the rest of Lee’s catalog of films, and stands out as one of his best pictures. He marries the liveliness of 1977’s New York with the fear of the Son of Sam killer magnificently. From an acting perspective, a relatively Adrian Brody stands out as Richie, a young punk who is accused of the killings by his friends.
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