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City by the Sea (2002)

tomatometer

48

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 141
Fresh: 68 | Rotten: 73

Even though the movie is well acted, it sinks under an abundance of melodrama and cliches.

52

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 16

Even though the movie is well acted, it sinks under an abundance of melodrama and cliches.

audience

40

liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 15,266

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

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Ken Hixon

Feb 18, 2003

$22.4M

Warner Bros. Pictures

Cast

All Critics (158) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (75) | DVD (23)

A compendium of clichés about fathers and sons.

September 26, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Magazine | Comment
New York Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A film that doesn't just support the action to come, but makes it seem inevitable.

September 11, 2002 Full Review Source: Newsday | Comment
Newsday
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De Niro's workmanlike in a dismayingly familiar role.

September 6, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
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I like everything about it except it.

September 6, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
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It's a run-of-the-mill cop thriller but also a gripping family drama.

September 6, 2002 Full Review Source: USA Today | Comment
USA Today
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De Niro has been showing us great stuff for 30 years now, but in this movie he shows us something new..

September 6, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
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Ambitious, improbable and very violent cop drama.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

The film ends up as shallow as the thankless love interest role Frances McDormand somehow agreed to play here.

December 28, 2008 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | Comment
TheMovieReport.com

Filmmaker Micahel Caton-Jones serves up an edgy drama filled with tragically flawed characters portrayed by Robert De Niro, James Franco and Frances MacDormand.

July 2, 2008 Full Review Source: IGN Movies | Comment
IGN Movies

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.

January 15, 2005 Comment
Looking Closer

If Rebel Without a Cause were told from the father's perspective, the result would probably be something like City by the Sea.

January 6, 2004 Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | Comment
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

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.

June 26, 2003 Full Review | Comment
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for City by the Sea

Vincent LaMarca: How'd we get this way son? I remember the day you were born. 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

December 10, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

When you're searching for a killer... the last suspect you want to see is your son.Good movie. Very good acting role by Robert De Niro as always brings his best. James Franco did a superb job too as a junkie on the run. The story was sad and depressing in a way and I can imagine what a dad must feel like in that

January 7, 2010
xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
Manu Gino

Super Reviewer

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