A New York City police investigator (De Niro) must face up to the demons of his past when his own beloved son becomes a chief suspect in his latest murder investigation. City by the Sea stars the aforementioned Robert De Niro along with Frances McDormand, James Franco and Eliza Dushku. Michael Caton-Jones who directed The Jackal in 1997 directs the police drama.
The basis for City by the Sea came from an Esquire human-interest piece penned by Mike McAlary titled "Mark of a Murderer." Like most Hollywood films based on a true story, the film takes some artistic liberties with the material to make it hopefully (and successfully in this case) more entertaining for audiences.
First and foremost, what makes City by the Sea better than your average cop thriller is that it is more a character study of loss and the bond between father and son than the usual cop on the trail of killer that's been done far too often already. To make such a film work, the acting has to be top-notch or else audiences with find themselves doubting the sincerity of the aforementioned bonds and relationships. Robert De Niro does very well in his role as the gruff exterior he has honed in countless other films fits perfectly into the character of investigator Vincent LaMarca. Thankfully, De Niro is also able to pull off the internal grieving that his character is going through having a son that's been accused of murder. The other actors also are able to make their characters believable. Franco is very convincing as the accused and on the run son and junkie. He wants so desperately for his dad to believe his statement that he didn't kill anyone but his questionable activities in the past have made it hard for his father to believe him even though he wants to deep down. As De Niro's neighbor and frequent companion Frances McDormand doesn't fair quite as well as the others because her character is shoveled with the bulk of the bad lines and material. Eliza Dushku does better than McDormand as Franco's girlfriend who is also a junkie and troubled. Also worth noting is a pulse-pounding finale that varies from the norm for such a film.
Direction by Michael Caton-Jones is nondescript as he basically lets the material speak for itself without attempting to overshadow it with camera tricks or fast cut editing. Most importantly, he was able to get strong performances from the cast.
Overall, City by the Sea is a highly enjoyable cop thriller replete with great and well-developed character-to-character relationships and a pulse-pounding finale that's far more inventive than you would expect from a film of this type.
Rating: 85
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