City by the Sea (2002)

Vincent Lamarca, whose father was executed for a 1950s kidnapping of a child, grew up to become a police officer, only to see his own son become a murderer.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

Mike McAlary (article), Ken Hixon (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Vincent LaMarca
Frances McDormand	...	Michelle
James Franco	...	Joey
Eliza Dushku	...	Gina
William Forsythe	...	Spyder
Patti LuPone	...	Maggie (as Patti Lupone)
Anson Mount	...	Dave Simon
John Doman	...	Henderson
Brian Tarantina	...	Snake
Drena De Niro	...	Vanessa Hansen
Michael P. Moran	...	Herb
Nestor Serrano	...	Rossi
Matthew Cowles	...	Arnie
Linda Emond	...	Margery
Cyrus Farmer	...	Carl

Storyline

New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making 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. He and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife 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 at arm's length; the closest relationship he maintains is with his partner, Reg--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--or his sorrow over his broken relationship with Joey. But this murder investigation is drawing Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed City by the Sea, where the past has been waiting for him to ...

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Plot Keywords:

beach | police | grandson | new york city | murder | 

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Taglines:

When you're searching for a killer... the last suspect you want to see is your son.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, drug use and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [United Kingdom] Warner Bros. [United States] - trailer, synopsis

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mark of a Murderer

Filming Locations:

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$248,609 (Brazil) (9 May 2003)

Gross:

$566,358 (Brazil) (30 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Franchise Pictures, Epsilon Motion Pictures, Brad Grey Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Caton-Jones was unhappy with the final result and said that working on this film for 3 years was the worst and most depressing period of his career.

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Goofs

Size 10 boots. When Spyder shoots the detective he is a good 20 feet away. The detective falls straight down to ground level and Spyder leaves in the opposite direction. Yet his footprint is found in the dead detectives blood?

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Quotes

Medical Examiner: Give me a break, I had to jerk off twice this morning just to get my heart started!

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Curious Mind (Um Um Um Um Um Um)"
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Performed by Major Lance
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Records

User Reviews

Polished drama

I'm really not a fan of cop/crime dramas.

I watched this on a recommendation without any clue about its content, and I have to say I quite enjoyed it.

De Niro is Vincent laMarca, a detective of many years on the force. His wife is estranged and he hasn't seen his son Joey in 15 years but finds himself pursuing the boy when Joey is wanted in connection with the murder of a drug dealer. Joey is in a bad way, being a drug addict himself and father of a son he can't support, so perenially finds himself in conflict with his mother who reluctantly tolerates his junkie nature and internally with himself.

Frances McDormand plays Michelle, Vincent's current relationship, though the depth of the relationship seems rather superficial given the 2 live in the same apartment block but seperate appartments. She wants to know more about Vincent when she decides she doesn't know him at all, but his past is murky with a complex and dark family history.

Add to this, his son, Joey's own son with Gina who essentially loses faith in both Joey and her own ability to be a mother, and you have a rather subtle and dark drama with a lot of complexities.

It is worth noting that all the performances are as excellent as you would expect, particularly the breath-taking de Niro, in one of his best roles for years. This is the type of character he was born to play and he's so convincing as Vincent.

As a crime story and cop drama it's one for fans especially, but if you know good cinema you will appreciate it too.