Homicide detective Robert De Niro (as Vincent LaMarca) has a skeleton in his closet. Mr. De Niro's father was executed as a baby killer. However, De Niro "turned his life around" and, with help from a law-abiding father figure, became a respectable police officer. Unfortunately, he left his wife and young son on the wrong side of the tracks. Fourteen years later, De Niro's handsome son James Franco (as Joey LaMarca) has become a gaunt Long Beach junkie, with a neglected son of his own. While scoring some junk, Mr. Franco knifes a dealer, in self-defense (this is the film's opening). Then, father De Niro is assigned the task of bringing in his estranged son as a murderer...
If you give "City by the Sea" a chance, it should make a good impression, thanks to the skillfully focused cast and crew. De Niro is particularly good at elevating the story; he keeps everything real. The story is, otherwise, not structurally sound. To give an example (without giving anything away) note that Franco's opening "killing" is hardly a crime. Wouldn't the film's theme have worked better if this was a real, however warranted, passionate murder? This would strengthen the sense of loss/salvation expressed by De Niro and Franco in the final act. There are other puzzling story developments, right up until the final "beach" visit. Director Michael Caton-Jones' near-ending "auto body shop" segment is exciting, though.
******* City by the Sea (2002) Michael Caton-Jones ~ Robert De Niro, James Franco, Frances McDormand
If you give "City by the Sea" a chance, it should make a good impression, thanks to the skillfully focused cast and crew. De Niro is particularly good at elevating the story; he keeps everything real. The story is, otherwise, not structurally sound. To give an example (without giving anything away) note that Franco's opening "killing" is hardly a crime. Wouldn't the film's theme have worked better if this was a real, however warranted, passionate murder? This would strengthen the sense of loss/salvation expressed by De Niro and Franco in the final act. There are other puzzling story developments, right up until the final "beach" visit. Director Michael Caton-Jones' near-ending "auto body shop" segment is exciting, though.
******* City by the Sea (2002) Michael Caton-Jones ~ Robert De Niro, James Franco, Frances McDormand