Evidently inspired by a true story, the titular "City by the Sea" refers to Long Beach, New York, a decaying seaside town, where much of the action takes place. When a drug deal goes awry, a junkie named Joey kills the dealer, and, together with his buddy, he tosses the body into the sea. Eventually, the dealer's corpse washes up in Manhattan, where two cops are called in to investigate. In a bizarre twist of fate, one of the cops is Joey's estranged father. Meanwhile, Spyder, the local drug boss, displeased by the killing of one of his men and eager to regain respect in the neighborhood, also pursues Joey. In this gritty, downbeat story, few uplifting moments mitigate the tale of drugs, crime, and a supremely dysfunctional family.The cast is strong, and Robert De Niro as Vincent LaMarca, the cop pursuing his son, a suspected murderer, gives good performance as expected; LaMarca struggles not only with having to arrest his son, but also with his own past and the haunting legacy of his father. James Franco is a standout as Joey, the addict struggling with addiction and his father's abandonment. Frances McDormand is always an engaging actress, and, as Michelle, DeNiro's patient girl friend, she plays a woman who knows where she stands in life and the limits of her tolerance. Patti Lupone, the shrewish ex-wife, effectively lays all the blame for their son's problems on DeNiro, while George Dzundzas gives a low-key performance as Reg, DeNiro's loyal partner.Based on an article by Mike McAlary, Ken Hixon's screenplay slowly probes the shadows of LaMarca's multi-generational past and unveils Joey's secrets as well. Filmed in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the film is better than average, and director Michael Caton-Jones maintains a decent pace, although he can do little to brighten a gloomy story. The LaMarca family has decayed like the city of Long Beach; dark roots from the past reach up to strangle succeeding generations and threaten a future one. Fine performances, especially by Franco, make "City by the Sea" worthy viewing, although a stiff drink or a Valium may be required to lift viewers' moods afterwards.

I know this is not a current movie, so I may not get a response, but I'm wondering if a scene was cut out? At the very end of the movie, James Franco has a gun and he has his ring back on his finger. In the version I saw last nite, there was no explanation of "how" he got a gun or "how" he got his ring back. Was there a scene edited out on the version I viewed?I liked the movie. It was not great, but it was a good watch. Robert DeNiro plays the same character that he has played in about 10 other movies. But, he plays it well.Apparently, I have to write more lines. and more lines. and more lines.

This movie is a tense drama,with Di Nero playing a signature character, a big city cop who is drawn into an investigation where his estranged son turns out to be the top suspect.It further expands into his complicated relationships with his ex-wife, and the father who was executed for a botched kidnapping in the 1950's.My problem with the film is that there is this key bit of information that would have ended the story in about five minutes that people who know don't talk about and people who could do something about it could really use. That this kid is on the run from a drug lord. This information isn't relayed until the last act of the movie, leading up to the climax, but if someone had just said something at the beginning of the movie, well, I guess we wouldn't have a movie.Enjoy it because Di Nero elevates it.

CITY BY THE SEA stars Robert DeNiro and was directed by Michael Caton Jones whose previous big films include MEMPHIS BELLE and THE JACKAL . Somewhat strangely it only received a very limited release in Britain as it sank without trace at the box office . In fact I'm not even sure it got a cinema distribution deal such was its obscurity . Bare in mind however that both DeNiro and Caton Jones best known work were way in the past with the actor now known as someone appearing in cameo roles in forgettable movies and the director being known as someone who came from a working class Scottish background who made good , even though very few Scots could name more than two films he's directed As you might expect CITY BY THE SEA is something you might pick up at the DVD store , watch it one evening then by the time you're having breakfast the next morning you'll have forgotten ever seeing it . . It's certainly not terrible but neither is it more passable than being mediocre , it's a routine thriller that's far too routine . DeNiro plays a cop called Vince LaMarca whose father was executed for murder and now his son is on the run after being accused of killing a cop . Much of the emotional baggage of LaMarca goes totally unexplored and you'd never know of this family history until one of the characters occasionally brings it up via dialogue . In fact if LaMarca was written as female then you'd honestly believe that this was yet another variation of a TVM made for women