BB.5
(out of 5)
Spike Lee directs this exploitative and excessive tale about the summer when all of New York was terrorized by David Berkowitz, the serial killer known as the “Son of Sam”. The story mainly follows residents of Brooklyn during the unbearably hot summer when Berkowitz randomly went out shooting people, mostly young women, insisting that his neighbour’s dog Sam was instructing him to do so. What this did to New York City was empty restaurants and night clubs, get women to change their appearances to look less like Berkowitz’s victims and increase paranoia in local neighbourhoods as to who the killer was. Adrien Brody plays a go-go boy whose nightlife leads his closest friends to suspect him of being involved, John Leguizamo is a sexually frustrated man who thanks to his Catholic-guilt upbringing can’t see his wife (Mira Sorvino) in an excitably sexual way (yeah right), and Jennifer Esposito is the sweet-natured easy girl of the neighbourhood who has her way with all of them. Relentlessly violent and unnecessarily sexual, Lee’s only good move in this film is to give all the wonderful actors involved lots of room to perform well, and they do (Esposito is the film’s best asset). Other than that there’s no centre for the action to revolve around, so you’re stuck watching scene after scene that never gets boring but certainly feels excessive.
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, Touchstone Pictures, Hostage Productions
USA, 1999
Directed by Spike Lee
Screenplay by Spike Lee, Victor Colicchio, Michael Imperioli
Cinematography by Ellen Kuras
Produced by Jon Kilik, Spike Lee
Music by Terence Blanchard
Production Design by Therese DePrez
Costume Design by Ruth E. Carter
Film Editing by Barry Alexander Brown
Cast Tags: Adrien Brody, Al Palagonia, Alexander J. Vega, Andrew Lasky,Anthony LaPaglia, Antonio Torres, Arthur J. Nascarella, Ashleigh Closs, Bebe Neuwirth, Ben Gazzara, Bill Raymond, Brian Tarantina, Charlotte Colavin, Christina Klobe, Christopher Wynkoop, Clayton J. Barber, Curtis Gove, Damian Achilles, Damian Branica, Dan Zappin, Daniel J. Courtenay,Danielle Burgio, Danielle Tutelian, Darielle Gilad, Dionna Colicchio, Emelise Aleandri, Ernest Mingione, Ernie Anastos, Evan Cohen,Evander Holyfield, Frank Cadillac, Frank Fortunato, Gabriel Barre, George Tabb, Grace DeSena, Hal Sherman, Iris Braydon, Jacqueline Margolis,James Baggs, James Reno, Janet Paparazzo, Jeff DeRocker, Jennifer Badger, Jennifer Esposito, Jessica Galbreath, Jill Stokesberry, Jim Jensen, Jimmy Breslin, Joanne Lamstein, Jodi Michelle Pynn, Joe Lisi, John Leguizamo, John Martucci, John Michael Brown, John Savage, John Turturro, Joie Lee,Joseph Lyle Taylor, Kathryn Hud, Ken Garito, Kim Director, Lisa France, Lorne Behrman, Lucia Grillo, Mario Macaluso, Mark Breland, Mary Jo Todaro, Melba Tolliver, Michael Badalucco, Michael Harper, Michael Prozzo, Michael Rispoli, Michael Sorvino, Mike Starr,Mildred Clinton, Mira Sorvino, Murielle Arden, Nelson Vasquez, Nicholas Brown, Nick Oddo, Pamela Wehner, Patti LuPone, Peter Epstein, Peter Maloney, Phil Campanella, Phil Rizzuto, Ray Carlson, Reggie Jackson, Richard Paul, Roger Guenveur Smith, Rome Neal, Rozie Bacchi, Saverio Guerra, Steven Croft, Susan Batson, Tara McNamee, Toneda Laiwan, Valerie Mazzonelli, Victoria Galasso, William H. Burns, Zoe Bournelis
