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City by the Sea City by the Sea is one of those films that seems to have "Oscars" written all over it. The film features a killer cast with Oscar winners Robert DeNiro and Frances McDormand, Tony winner Patty LuPone, and Golden Globe winner James Franco. It's based on a compelling, heart wrenching true story. It even has a respected director in Michael Caton Jones. City by the Sea is a gritty cop tale with a heart, but it doesn't quite reach the heights to which it aspires. It's a good film, but it's not great. DeNiro is NYC Detective Vincent LaMarca. He is called in to investigate the murder of a drug dealer, but he soon learns that his estranged, junkie son, Joey (James Franco), is the primary suspect. Although Joey did kill the drug dealer, the circumstances are murky and he faces bigger trouble when the dealer's crime boss, Snake (William Forsythe), wants to get even with Joey. Can Vincent remain objective and discover the truth? Did he fail his son? Can he protect him now? How much trouble is Joey facing? City by the Sea is a compelling tale that is entertaining for men and women. Ken Hixon provides a sparse script that is driven by the plot instead of the writing. There are not many big speeches, the dialogue is rather perfunctory and the audience is left to imagine how the characters feel rather than have it explained by the characters themselves. However, Jones is able to get the most out of the story and this stellar cast. James Franco steals this film from DeNiro. Whereas DeNiro must play Vincent as an emotionally guarded tough guy cop who doesn't want to discuss his troubled past with anyone, Franco gets to emote and play the meatier part. His performance as a drug addict trying to break the habit, clean up his life, take care of his family and move to his Florida paradise is amazing. He is able to show us Joey's desperation, fear, desire and rage, often in the same scene. It is an actor's version of the decathlon, and Franco proves to be Bruce Jenner (for those of you born AFTER 1970, Jenner is a famous American who won the gold medal in the decathlon). Don't get me wrong, DeNiro is no slouch. He does what he is supposed to do, but the part limits his abilities to make the character jump off the screen. As the film moves towards its conclusion, DeNiro gets a chance to show audiences the actor that we love, but the audience will be thinking of Franco when they go home. Unfortunately, Hixon doesn't give DeNiro enough of a chance to explore Vincent's troubled past. Maybe Vincent is not the type of guy who would go through such a self-examination, but there seems to be something lurking underneath the exterior that would be fascinating to find. McDormand, LuPone and Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) all have a scene or two where they get to show their stuff, but this film boils down to a showdown between DeNiro, and the next DeNiro - James Franco. You'll enjoy it, but don't expect the greatest film ever. After you have seen the film, send me an e-mail at waffle@wafflemovies.com and I will tell you what is true and what was embellished. Grade: B+ Copyright 2002 - WaffleMovies.com
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