I must disagree with
soren.harward. I thought this
movie was excellent. Yes, the Son of Sam was actually rather peripheral to the main
plots, but the movie is called
Summer of Sam, not
Son of Sam, and is more about the
New York City of that era than
Berkowitz specifically. To that end, I thought it was a brilliant portrayal of that era and contrasted poignantly with the New York of our era.
In the movie we saw the ethnic tension and the three day blackout and accompanying riots that plagued New York that year. The serial murders along with the blackout were immensely symbolic, showcasing locally and to the nation the decline of New York City into dirty chaos. Also we saw the cultural tummult that was New York and America, as this Bronx Italian community was coming to terms with prejudice, sexual liberation, their own isolation, and the new vulgarity of mainstream culture. In the midst of it all, the punks were creating a vibrant scene that questioned the very basis of American society.
Contrast this with the New York of today, the safest and most prosperous big city in North America, but a city that seems so much less vibrant. Where there was a cutting edge Punk scene on the Lower East Side that questioned the fundamentals of our lives, there are now $20 a drink Martini lounges. Were there were sex clubs in Times Square, there's now a Disney Store, a TGI Friday's, and innumerable other vapid institutions that are in every mall in America. Where there were decades old ethnic communities, there are now no reminders of these one time inhabitants. I thought this movie vividly brought up all of this.