The murderous true story behind Spike Lee movie ‘Summer of Sam’
Spike Lee is one of the most prolific filmmakers active today. Since 1983, Lee’s production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has made over 35 movies. Since Lee’s directorial debut, 1986’s She’s Gotta Have It, the American director has received high praise for his subsequent pictures, including Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X and BlacKkKlansman.
One of the most intriguing movies in Lee’s filmography, however, is undoubtedly the 1999 effort Summer of Sam, which is Lee’s crime thriller and, in part, details the horrific events of 1977 in New York City and the serial killings of David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam. While the film does indeed focus on Berkowitz, the plot largely centres on two young Italian-Americans hailing from the Bronx.
As for Berkowitz himself, his murder spree began in the summer of 1976. The Son of Sam, who would also be referred to as the .44 Calibre Killer, wreaked havoc on New York City and eventually pleaded guilty to eight shootings, killing six people and wounding a further seven.
Berkowitz, however, was a slippery customer and eluded New York police for some time. In fact, he had mocked the police force thoroughly, leaving them letters scattered around the city whilst proclaiming to be planning further crimes. Finally, Berkowitz was arrested on August 10th, 1977, and confessed to all the crimes, although he claimed to have been possessed by a demon dog.
Interestingly, the fact that Berkowitz eluded the police for so long led to intense media coverage, but this only appeared to spur Berkowitz on, and he was somewhat enjoying his moments of fame. Perhaps this is where Lee wanted to step in and examine the consequences of Berkowitz’s actions on the people of New York.
Summer of Sam is not, after all, a retelling of Berkowitz’s story but instead focuses on two young men in the city during his killings. The two men are Vinny (played by John Leguizamo) and Ritchie (Adrien Brody), who are both caught up in their own personal battles – Vinny with his marriage embroiled in his own infidelity, and Ritchie with an embracing of the emerging punk subculture.
So while Summer of Sam is not a biopic in the same manner as the several recent Jeffrey Dahmer projects and series have been, the crimes of David Berkowitz nonetheless play a vital part in Lee’s story, as there is a persistent layer of anxiety throughout the Bronx that affects friendships and rivalries. It’s a magnificent film and one that is arguably not talked about enough. A definitive piece of history.
