Friday, September 6, 2002

R

For language, drug use, some violence.

Drama, Thriller

Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand, William Forsythe, George Dzundza, Patti LuPone

Ken Hixon

Michael Caton-Jones

City by the Sea (2002)

Inspired by the 1997 Esquire article Mark of a Murderer, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Mike McAlary, City by the Sea tells the gripping story of a dedicated police officer who discovers that the chief suspect in his current murder investigation is his own son.

     New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (ROBERT De NIRO) has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, m Vincent and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced Joey's mother and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach, Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD. He lives his life in solitude, keeping his girlfriend (FRANCES McDORMAND) at arm's length. The closest relationship he maintains is with his partner, Reg (GEORGE DZUNDZA), and Vincent makes sure that stops at the precinct door. As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he doesn't have to deal with the pain of his past.aking a name for himself as a man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are higher for Vincent the suspect he's investigating is his own son, Joey (JAMES FRANCO).

      The murder investigation draws Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed "City by the Sea," where the past has been waiting for him to return. In the course of his investigation, Vincent discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have deeply influenced Joey's life and the destructive choices he has made.

      As a cop, Vincent must bring a criminal to justice; as a father, he must find a way to save his son. Now he will put his life on the line in order to do right by both his family and his profession.