Customer Reviews

Sea of Love

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie rocks! I was so happy to see Pacino again after a much to long absence. Why is it that we never appreciate a person and their talent when there around more often? Pacino is just incrediable in this movie and his pairing with Ellen Barkin is perfect. They definitely go on that list of dynamic on-screen couples. I also enjoyed Pacino and Goodman as partners, but than again I find that Al Pacino is one of those actors that seems to bring out the best in whomever he's working with. The movie never falters for me from beginning to end. Its intense, exciting, humorous and of course sexy. Everyone involved in making this movie ( especially the director and writer ) should be proud. Sea Of Love is a classic!

This version (Collector's Edition)
is worse than the previous pan & scan full screen version. Here the studio cropped the top and the sides of the full screen version to make it fit anamorphic widescreen format, so you lose more of the picture than the full screen version.
Universal is deceptive in not saying it is a matted widescreen version Buyer beware!
This is not a true widescreen and doesent even say that the original apect ratio was modified to fit 16x9 tvs.

Damn, this one keeps you on the edge of your seat. Pacino plays a NYPD detective who falls in love with Ellen Barkin, a woman who's the main suspect in a murder case he's investigating. The mix of suspicion, fear, and sexual arousal is enough to keep the most jaded viewer riveted to the screen, wondering who or what will break first. The chemistry between Pacino and Barkin is intense enough to make the love scenes qualify as some of the hottest of the era.
Super-duper in every way. Wow.

This is a wonderful film, and sad to say, poorly translated onto DVD. The picture is grainy and washed out. The studio should seriously consider doing a remastering of this in lettebox format so that the video quality is maintained.

Great Pacino film, but the DVD has the worst picture quality I have seen on a DVD! I have both the old video and DVD of this film, I would have to say that the video release has a better picture quality than the DVD! The DVD looks grainy, washed out, faded colors and to top it off it is in full screen, and is single layered. Shame Universal Studio's for putting out a DVD of such substandard DVD quality.

This is one of those films I love- the kind that sits on my shelf, I forget about for a while, and when I finally remember it one rainy day and put it on, it seems like new all over again... and I remember why I got it in the first place.

Pacino is Frank Keller, a NYC cop who is a little beat by life, doesn't get all his daily recommended allowance of beauty sleep, and who, on occassion, has a wee problem with the drink. Maybe not the sort of a man you'd be beating down mama's door to show off, but, ya know, a decent kinda guy. He's working on a murder investigation, assisted by the always reliable John Goodman, and due to circumstances and the trouble with 3am, becomes romantically involved with one of the suspects.

Enter Ellen Barkin- as the tagline reads, she may be the love of his life... or the end of it. Either way, she is definitely working the celluloid charm that made "The Big Easy" so steamy- although here it's more edgy and direct than bashful.

The film rolls along at a good pace, never quite spelling anything out for sure so you're thankful that it's on DVD and don't have to throw things at the TV when commercials cut in. Beyond the intensity of his scenes with Barkin- and there is some damn fine sizzle to 'em- there are some great moments that really help bring out Pacino's character and make him more human- vulnerable, profane, sore, sweaty- than other roles I've seen him in since; when he tells a guy the "Yankee's meet'n'greet" is all booked, and his mutterings when he sees one of the blind dates still at the bar don't have the theatrics of some of the more "Al Pacino movie" characters, and are all the better for it.

Also, the scratchy, tense relationship his Frank Keller has with his co-worker nicely sets off the easy partnership he strikes up with Goodman's Queens detective; their camraderie and somewhat comical difference in stature made for an unexpectedly great part of the film.

Altogether, a terrific watch, and makes you wonder just how the hell Barkin ended up playing a Minnesota beauty queen's mom. Musta been 3am somewhere then.

I've been looking at purchasing the HD DVD release of 'Sea Of Love', but haven't been overwhelmed by the responses of the big league review sites. The message I'm getting is that 'Sea Of Love' doesn't cut it relative to 'Basic Instinct', and that the transfer to HD DVD is haphazard.

I just want to say I've seen both films several times and my biggest question is whether 'Sea Of Love' looks best in 1.33:1 or 1.85:1 (I have both LD versions) -- personally, I prefer the picture composition at 1.33:1 (as originally shot), rather than the masked down widescreen 1.85:1.

More importantly, 'Basic Instinct' is a very slick and hip film with a very slimy underbelly -- whereas 'Sea Of Love' has heart and soul and depth of characterization that leaves that other film in the shade. If overt sex, sensuality, and titilation is what you're really interested in, then 'Basic Instinct' delivers in spades -- go for it! On the other hand, if you are looking for down to earth characters with real world feelings and a darned good plot, then 'Sea Of Love' is killer -- a truly fine film!

I love this film. I remember seeing this movie a couple of years ago and I instantly fell in love with it. It's kind of like your usual "whodunit?" but it has a twist.

Al Pacino plays a cop who runs into a couple murders that all seem like they are by the same person, but he and his new partner (John Goodman) can't seem to solve the similar murders. About a quarter or so into the film, Pacino has an epiphany and realizes that all of the victims placed ads in the lonely heart section of a certain magazine. They happened to be poetic ads, so Pacino decides to put in his own poetic ad, hoping that it will attract the killer. Many women answer the ad and Pacino falls for one of them - and she turns out to be the most likely suspect.

I'll leave it at that. As for the DVD, the picture quality is decent for a late 80's release and the sound is good enough for a mostly-dialogue-driven film. As for the extras, they are better than the previous DVD's extras but they're nothing to brag about.

Overall, it's fit for Friday evening viewing.

Al Pachino is an undercover cop invesigating murders that happen when men respond to personal ads. The song Sea of Love is always found on the turntable at the murder scene. Pachino sets out to answer ads as a single printer and poorly shows interest in women hurting their feelings in the process of trying to obtain fingerprints. Ellen Barkin who is one of the women plays a sexually seductive and obviously needy individual who ends up seducing Pachino into falling in love with her. Excellent acting by Barkin as an incredibly sexy and three dimensional 30ish woman. At times she seems in control and powerful over Pachino but it's her vulnerability that steals this movie. You question her character as she becomes more than just a hot sexy divorce'. The evidence keeps leading toward Barkin and Pachino overlooks much of it until the inevitable. Pachino is good as Frank playing a sometimes out of control loner. Ellen Barkn is fantastic as a fiesty sexually driven woman in which she incorporates a special sensitivity that matches well with Pacino. Good supporting work by John Goodman. I fell in love with Barkins character more than the story and Harold Becker does a wonderful job. Good Surprise ending that incorporates a strong message. Not a classic but a soiid film.

In the network TV version of this film there is added footage showing Lorraine Bracco as Pacino's ex-wife confronting him at the police station. She is sick and tired of his harassing her and her new husband, and the information she gives Pacino is a release for him. It changes his actions toward them and makes him emotionally free to pursue Ellen Barkin.

Aside from Bracco's terrific performance in this small role but important scene, there is definitely a gap without this footage. Why not add it to a new release? I would buy it in a second and rate it 5-stars without a doubt.