So, how accurate is Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam?” Well, according to The Guardian, the film is pretty spot-on when it comes to the brash details of events. Just like in real life, the movie takes place in the late ’70s, the same time period during which David Berkowitz began his string of senseless murders.
Lee, known for making fast-paced, frenetic movies that feature New York City as one of the main characters, stayed true to his style with this flick. The movie spends a majority of its screen time following a group of friends in an Italian-American neighborhood of the Bronx. While Son of Sam did commit his first murder in the Bronx, striking and killing Donna Lauria as she sat chatting with her friend Jody Valenti — who survived the attack — most of Berkowitz’s crimes took place in Queens.
Regardless of this minor detail, Lee sets up the rest of the period piece with visual and historical precision, utilizing cornerstone headlines to pace the cultural and social narrative. Not only did the crimes take place during the height of the sexual revolution (the impact of which is also woven into the atmosphere of the film), but Lee also includes the New York City blackout of 1977, as well as the beginning of the end for Disco culture.
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