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 murder suspect.

Director:

Michael Caton-Jones

Writers:

Mike McAlary (article) (as Michael McAlary), Ken Hixon (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, James Franco, Frances McDormand

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:

murder | police | family abandonment | on the run | father son relationship | 

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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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Certificate:

12

Did You Know?

Trivia

In his autobiography "Dream Repairman", editor Jim Clark wrote that he walked out of the post-production in mid-2001 with the film shown in Cannes incomplete with missing insert footage. Clark said that "My 70th birthday was coming up on May 24, and I wanted to be home for that. Also, I was tired of sitting in small airless rooms in New York City waiting for something to happen on a film that seemed mired in inaction."

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Goofs

When Joey and his Father are in the building surrounded by cops, Joey looks through a glass window pane which then disappears, reappears and is then broken out by Joey in consecutive shots.

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Quotes

Vincent LaMarca: How'd we get this way son? I remember the day you were born.
Joey: Yeah? Well, I remember the day you left. So we're even.

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Crazy Credits

This motion picture was not actually filmed in Long Beach, New York.

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Connections

Referenced in Shameless: Episode #1.1 (2004)

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Soundtracks

Pride and Joy
Written by Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson and Norman Whitfield (as Norman J. Whitfield)
Performed by Marvin Gaye
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Gritty Drama More Than A Crime Film

This is a somewhat run-of-the-mill modern-day crime movie elevated by the presence of actor Robert De Niro. He plays a policeman who is a father to his druggie son, who is accused of murder.

"Vincent LaMarca" (De Niro) is torn between the guilt of being an absentee father to his kid ("Joey," played by James Franco) but still loving him enough to help him and yet still be a good, honest cop.

This is a gritty film, a bid sordid in spots. The locale is a grimy Atlantici City-type on-the- skids town by the ocean. It isn't pretty. As tough as the story can be, it's still interesting and recommended as a decent crime film. Actually, it's much more of a drama than an action-crime film....but I liked it. It's an interesting character study, as well.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. - trailer, synopsis [United States]

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:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,935,426, 8 September 2002

Gross USA:

$22,449,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,676,703

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1