Product Details

• Format: NTSC
• Language: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000089QBB
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,315 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "City by the Sea" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A welcome throwback to the cop dramas of the '70s, City by the Sea is an average film improved by its cast. Robert De Niro stars as veteran New Jersey detective Vincent LaMarca, lamenting the once glorious Asbury Park boardwalk, now dilapidated from the decay of changing times. A good cop but a regrettable father, LaMarca must confront past mistakes and repressed memories when his estranged son (James Franco) becomes the prime suspect in the killing of LaMarca's partner (George Dzundza). There's a nagging inevitability to Ken Hixon's otherwise intelligent screenplay, but De Niro and Frances McDormand--as LaMarca's compassionate neighbor and part-time girlfriend--turn this simmering drama into something deeper than it is. McDormand's role would be thin without the depth and humanity she brings to it, and both De Niro and Franco mine gold from their troubling father-son legacy. Based on a true story, City by the Sea has that kernel of authenticity that good actors thrive on. --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

For long stretches, Robert De Niro, speaking in quiet, even tones, keeps this dolorous family melodrama on track. He plays Vincent LaMarca, a successful Manhattan homicide detective. His father was a convicted child murderer, and his son, Joey (James Franco), whom he hasn't seen in years, is a junkie living like a rat under the boardwalk of Long Beach, Long Island. As if all these troubles weren't enough, Joey kills a drug dealer in a fight, and then is suspected by the police of also killing a cop. Even though the story is based in fact, "City by the Sea" offers an almost grotesque pileup of tragedies. Will Vincent arrest his own son? Are the sins of the fathers visited upon the sons (or, in this case, grandsons)? Ken Hixon's screenplay lays in the Arthur Miller bricks very carefully. But when father and son get together at last, Hixon's writing falls into the turgid clichés of a TV drama. The end is a big letdown. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart-wrenching story of family, September 7, 2002

By 

"wendy0528" (South Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

For me, City By The Sea (based on actual events) is the story of three generations of LaMarca men. In spite of his father (who desperately kidnapped a baby that accidentally died and was "given the chair"), New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) has had a long, successful career. The stakes are highest in his latest case: trying to protect his estranged and only son Joey (James Franco) who, on a high, killed a dope dealer in Long Beach (the "City by the Sea") and possibly a cop, Vincent's partner Reg (George Dzundza). Frances McDormand plays Vincent's girlfriend who he keeps at arms length. Her apartment is just below his, yet she knows nothing of his personal history. Vincent can't seem to escape his past, the bad name set by his father, yet he wants to finally do right by his own son as well as his girlfriend and himself.

Some will say this film is slow. I say, not all movies are fast-paced and action-packed. City By The Sea is full of emotional turmoil and an all-star, award-winning cast. DeNiro's role is a bit calmer that his usual, but it's still a DeNiro performance with some emotionally heart-wrenching dialogue, especially with his son. James Franco, who received a best actor award for TNT's James Dean, has whatever it is that makes the audience unable to look away. His character Joey isn't a bad kid. He's just honestly trying to get himself out of the messed up life he's made for himself. Franco has that James Dean intensity on screen, most definitely. Frances McDormand's role is pretty subtle, but she makes it as real as possible. William Forsythe, who I usually see as one of the "good guys" (cop, FBI), plays Spyder, boss to the dope dealer that Joey killed. Keep your eyes open for a pretty news reporter named Vanessa. She may not look familiar, but she's DeNiro's daughter, Drena. - B+

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Sins of the Fathers . . ., February 27, 2004

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: City by the Sea (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

"City by the Sea" begins as a typical cop drama - Vincent DeMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a good solid New Jersey cop with a history. His father was executed as a "baby-killer", and now Vincent's own son Joey (James Franco), whom he abandoned as a young boy, is a strung out junkie suspected of killing DeMarca's partner. The scenes are predictably dingy and muted, with Frances McDormand popping out of her apartment now and then as DeMarca's girlfriend. The first part of this movie honestly felt like the pilot for a new television drama - with calculated character introductions and back story. But then something marvelous happens: the quality of the acting kicks in to elevate the film beyond its script. James Franco is astonishingly convincing as a junkie who both loves and despises his father, and DeNiro fools us into believing he's just an ordinary guy until the moment when all the layers are stripped off. Frances McDormand does a competent job with what she is given (not much) while adding a needed texture to DeMarca's life.

This film is probably the quietest cop drama I've ever seen because it's not about crimes one can be arrested for. It probes the fragile relationship between fathers and sons, and the obligations each needs to face. The film never picks up the slow paces it sets up in the beginning, so those hoping for the high action of traditional cop dramas will be disappointed. Make no mistake: this is a three-star movie raised to four stars by the performances of DeNiro and Franco. Still, the pivotal scene is a powerful one.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars City by the Sea, March 11, 2005

By 

Zack H. - See all my reviews

This review is from: City by the Sea (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

If you want action, blood, gore, thrills, and cheap tricks; stay away from this one. This takes you back to the way a movie was told without all the hoopla. You find yourself getting involved and relating to the characters. Is it so bad to see emotional conflict, intense situations, reality, and still have a happy ending? This is a unique story of a family torn apart and eventually brought back together after many years. It takes place in the down and hardened east coast 'cities by the sea'. The emotions seem heartfelt and there is plenty of action. I thought the performances were all exceptional. In fact everything about this movie is quite exceptional, so why it didn't get better reviews or doesn't linger on the mind longer is sort of a mystery then.