“Summer of Sam”

FOUR STARS

Disco is dying, punk rock is beginning and a serial killer is on the loose. This is the setting for Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam.”

The film sparked protests from the families of the victims of Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz even before it’s release. The story, however, is not about the killings. It focuses on how the people in a Brooklyn neighborhood are affected by the events of the summer of 1977.

It stars John Leguizamo (“The Pest,” “To Wong Foo: …”) as Vinny, a slick young hairdresser who has more extra-marital affairs than polyester shirts. His good-natured wife Dionna (Mira Sorvino: “Mighty Aphrodite,” “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”) grows suspicious that her husband is cheating on her.

Vinny spends most of his free time hanging out with the other guys from the neighborhood, Joey T., Woodstock, Bobby and Anthony. Vinny’s best friend from the neighborhood, Ritchie (Adrien Brody: “The Thin Red Line,” “Restaurant”), has aspirations of becoming a punk rocker. He’s started spiking his hair, talking with a British accent and hanging out at the legendary CBGB’s.

Vinny goes out to the disco with Dionna one night, only to leave to have sex with her cousin in his car. Vinny then returns to the club and takes Dionna home. On their way they encounter a police tape, and Vinny learns that the lovers in the car that was next to his have fallen victim to the Son of Sam killer.

Seeing the dead bodies shakes Vinny up, and he confides in Ritchie that he wants to stop cheating on Dionna. Unfortunately, he is drawn to the exotic sexual practices he undertakes with other women, and feels that doing these with his wife would be a sin.

Meanwhile, Dionna suspects her husbands infidelity, and thinks that if she can please him sexually it will mend their relationship. She even asks one of Vinny’s former girlfriends and neighborhood slut Ruby (Jennifer Esposito: “No Looking Back,” TV’s “Spin City”) what he liked. At the same time, Ruby has started a serious relationship with Ritchie.

As the summer progresses, and the murders continue, Joey T. and the other boys from the neighborhood begin trying to solve the crimes themselves. They eventually begin to suspect Ritchie, assuming that his “punk” lifestyle must mean that he’s in a cult. In addition, Dionna confronts Vinny about his cheating, a blackout leads to looting and generally all hell breaks loose.

“Summer of Sam” is more of a character study than a story. Its greatest assets are powerhouse performances by Leguizamo, Sorvino and Brody.

Leguizamo’s Vinny tries to do what he thinks is right, but his beliefs are consistently contradictions. His sexual desires conflict with his religious beliefs. He agrees with everyone who thinks Ritchie’s punk lifestyle makes him a weirdo, but at the same time he still loves his friend.

Ritchie tries to explain his punk lifestyle to his friend. He points out that what he’s wearing doesn’t matter, because he’s still the same person. At the same time, Ritchie conceals his job as a male dancer from the guys from the neighborhood.

It is touching to watch Ritchie’s attempts at becoming himself. Talking with a British accent and listening to The Who does little to help him escape from the scrutiny of the neighborhood.

Spike Lee’s film-making is a bit heavy handed, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad.

He really allows the actors to create the tension in a scene, rather than relying on tricks from the camera.

One scene in particular, when Dionna is preparing to leave and Vinny is trying to convince her to stay, is filmed in one shot with no cut-aways.

As a result we get to appreciate the intense intimacy of Leguizamo’s and Sorvino’s performances as they occurred, rather than after they were pieced together by an editor. In addition, Lee’s use of a hand-held camera actually makes us feel as if we were in the room.

Other times, however, Lee’s tricks are less successful.

We see Berkowitz, in his room, being tormented by the barking dog next door. As most people probably already know, Berkowitz believed the dog told him to kill. If they didn’t, however, they surely would have picked it up after seeing Berkowitz thrash around the room, with the dog barking, screaming “Ok, I’ll go out and kill people now, dog.”

But two-thirds of the way into the film, Lee shows the dog coming into the man’s room and actually talking to him. The scene looks like something out of a meow-mix commercial, and is much more laughable than scary.

A few miscue’s aside, where “Son of Sam” works, it works very well. It is an intimate portrayal of interesting characters under stress, and well worth your time.