I've been impressed with Spike Lee's past work.
He's best known for bringing a gentle but distinctly black perspective
to the silver screen, which I've found to be refreshing. Most
American movies prior, by contrast, seem to subtly (and sometimes
not so subtly) misrepresent minorities of all types.
"Summer of Sam" is more of a time capsule film. You got your disco, you got your punk rock, there's a heat wave roasting the city and there's a serial killer scaring the crap out of everyone.
Spike likes his characters well-done, and this flick is no exception. He manages to coach great performances out of John Leguizamo, Mia Sorvino, Adrien Brody and a host of others who weave a complex tapestry of characters in an Italian section of the Bronx. Extensive rehearsals and extensive location shooting make for an unusually profound and authentic movie experience.
"Summer of Sam" isn't really about the "Son of Sam" serial killer. It focuses more on the ensemble cast and the way they psychologically wither under the searing heat and the media hysteria. It offers us a chance to experience this strange and ominous period as much as one possibly could without actually having been there.
There's too much going on in the movie for me to list here. Suffice to say that, like other Spike Lee "joints", this one is a life experience in a VHS cartridge. Jeff is all for that. I say: rent it!