City by the Sea (2002)
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 142
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 74
Even though the movie is well acted, it sinks under an abundance of melodrama and cliches.
Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 36
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 18
Even though the movie is well acted, it sinks under an abundance of melodrama and cliches.
liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 15,741
My Rating
Movie Info
A man struggling to come to terms with the sins of his father makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime in a drama based on a true story. Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his past; four decades earlier, Vincent's father Angelo killed a young child, and since then Vincent has carried emotional scars from this incident that he refuses to show to
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Cast
-
Robert De Niro
Detective Vincent LaMar... -
Frances McDormand
Michelle -
James Franco
Joey LaMarca -
Eliza Dushku
Gina -
William Forsythe
Spyder -
George Dzundza
Reg Duffy -
Patti LuPone
Maggie -
Anson Mount
Dave Simon -
John Doman
Henderson -
Brian Tarantina
Snake -
Jay M. Boryea
Picasso -
Leo Burmeister
Lieutenant Katt -
Matthew Cowles
Arnie -
Michael Dellafemina
Angelo LaMarca -
Gregg Edelman
A.P.C. Johnson -
Mark Lamura
Mayor Jackson -
Michael P. Moran
Herb -
Nestor Serrano
Rossi -
Stephi Lineburg
Bree -
Drena De Niro
Vanessa Hansen -
Jim Marcus
Medical Examiner -
Jason Winther
Jason -
Linda Emond
Margery -
Cyrus Farmer
Carl -
Jill Marie Lawrence
Evelyn -
Dominick Angelo Cangro
Baby Angelo -
Pasquale Enrico Cangro
Baby Angelo -
Leslie Cohen
Jean -
Michelle Daimer
Terry -
Teresa Kelsey
Reporter Laura -
Joanne Lamstein
Screaming Teenager -
Orlando Pabjoy
Will -
Teresa Woods
Reporter Carol -
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City by the Sea Trailer & Photos
All Critics (160) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (76) | DVD (24)
A compendium of clichés about fathers and sons.
Top CriticA film that doesn't just support the action to come, but makes it seem inevitable.
De Niro's workmanlike in a dismayingly familiar role.
I like everything about it except it.
It's a run-of-the-mill cop thriller but also a gripping family drama.
The real Vincent LaMarca has lived a life that's the stuff of Greek tragedy. Too bad this film can't quite do it justice.
Ambitious, improbable and very violent cop drama.
The film ends up as shallow as the thankless love interest role Frances McDormand somehow agreed to play here.
Filmmaker Micahel Caton-Jones serves up an edgy drama filled with tragically flawed characters portrayed by Robert De Niro, James Franco and Frances MacDormand.
Caton-Jones ... understands that this story is not about how all the details work out, but about one man's heart and his slow awakening to moral responsibility.
If Rebel Without a Cause were told from the father's perspective, the result would probably be something like City by the Sea.
We watch an esteemed actor discovering new nuances. In turn, it's a sublime reminder of the qualities that made Robert De Niro great, not a gimmick.
Audience Reviews for City by the Sea
Super Reviewer
Joey: Yeah? Well, I remember the day you left. So we're even.
"When you're searching for a killer... the last suspect you want to see is your son."
This is a very average movie with a few great actors and a couple horrible ones. With a better bad guy, this could have been a lot better, but they went the route of William Forsythe and that hurt the movie a lot. Then they threw in Elisha Dushku as Gina and that's pretty much a death sentence for any movie. Robert De Niro, James Franco and Frances McDormand do what they can to save this film from being what it is, but it isn't enough.
Vincent LaMarca is a cop who's father was executed for the murder of a baby when he was just eight years old. Now he is investigating a case of a murdered drug dealer and the prime suspect is his son, who he hasn't seen in many years. He has quite a conundrum on his hands. He has to decide how to play this thing. Then more and more things come to the surface which makes it harder and harder for Vincent to act on any impulse.
City by the Sea isn't a horrible movie only because of the three excellent actors the film has. Without them, this would have only been a laughable, cliche, and extremely dull film. With them it manages to be entertaining to an extent. Just not enough to overcome the predictable story line and some of the other performances from actors that aren't excellent.
It is worth a watch if you really like De Niro or Franco. Just don't expect to be blown away by it.
Super Reviewer
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Grim, gritty, and a tad grungy, this should be a great movie. It's got nice atmosphere, a decent set up, and a cast that includes Robert De Niro, James Franco, Frances McDormand, William Forsythe, and Eliza Dushku. However, this just kinda falls flat, especially towards the end.
It all starts off decently though, but the film ultimately lacks a strong amount of energy and drive, so the potential for greatness gets squandered, and the film just kinda drifts along without much purpose a lot of the time.
The performances are decent, though, and I like the location shooting, but in the end, this really isn't strong enough to warrant much of a recommendation. It comes close, though.