In this, his first"white" fim, director Spike Lee uses the David Berkowitz killing spree, to describe how it affected a low-class Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, in the summer of 1977. Admittedly, the language and behavior of the "goombah Italian Stallions" is over-the-top, but many of them were and are! More importantly, what Lee creates in an ambitious sweep is a mural, a collage, that includes the widespread lootings that resulted from the blackout(and here he's not afraid to show that most of the looters were black and hispanic,) Reggie Jackson and the Yankees championship, the notorious dance/sex clubs Plato's Retreat and CBGB(been to both and they were faithfully portrayed!),etc. Leguizamo is not believable as Vinny, the head "guido," but Mira Sorvino is excellent. Patti LuPone shows her breasts, and Ben Gazzara and Anthony LaPaglia play cameos, effectively. A newcomer(to me) Jennifer Esposito is someone to watch- beautiful AND a very fine actress.

In what I would call the biggest disappointment of the summer, Spike Lee attempts to give us a feel for what it was like to live in New York City in 1977 during the "Son of Sam" murders. With a cast of characters that seem to lack anything even resembling an intelligent thought, Spike fails miserably and bores his audience in the process. And when you're not bored, you're probably repulsed -either by the killer, the excessive drug use or the overly explicit sex scenes (and there are plenty of those). The few interesting historical facts offered up do little to help this film which at any point may appear to be any one of the following: a) NYPD Blue, b) a music video, c) a soap opera d) a documentary or e) Sesame Street (if you see it you'll understand).