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I've watched it many times and never get tired of it. "Sea of Love" is one of few films where Al Pacino is very sexy, and it is adds to the film's many pleasures. The rest of them are - well constructed story of a New York Homicide cop (Pacino) attracted to a mysterious blond woman with a charming crooked grin (Ellen Barkin - talented, sexy and underrated actress) who may or may not be a serial killer. The chemistry between Pacino and Barkin is powerful and undeniable and the love scenes between them are among the best and most memorable ever filmed. John Goodman is very good as Pacino's partner and friend and yes I love the soundtrack and the title song.

Great screenplay, acting and settings combine to make a dynamite film. The constant tension between the police investigation and Pacino's love interest keep the suspense going strong, and the chemistry between Barkin and Pacino is fabulous. John Goodman is excellent as always, the sex/death themes add to the tension, and the ending will throw most for a loop... this film delivers. Try it, you'll like it.

8/10

Frank Keller is a New York detective investigating the murder of a man who was found naked, shot in the back of his head, with the song 'Sea of Love' playing on the record player. It is suspected that the killer may be a woman. This theory is reinforced when it there is a similar killing in Queens. Both victims had placed poetic ads in a lonely hearts column. Keller teams up with Detective Sherman Touhey, from Queens, and place their own advert. They meet various women and Keller ends up going out with one Helen Cruger; unfortunately it is possible that she is the killer; if so he could be in real danger.

This might not be one of the '80s most memorable films but it is well worth watching if you enjoy cop movies. Al Pacino does a fine job as Keller and has a good chemistry with John Goodman, who plays Touhey. He also has a believable chemistry with Ellen Barkin's Helen... simultaneously falling in love and occasionally fearing she could kill him. Barkin is really good as Helen; sexy but slightly ambiguous. Inevitably there are some twists along the way before we finally learn who the killer is. The story has a good neo-noir feel with plenty of tension and ambiguous characters while managing to avoid some clichés I'd expected. Overall a solid film that I'd recommend to fans of the genre; a must see for Pacino's fans.

Men who've answered personal ads in the lonely hearts column featuring poetry are being found naked, face down on their beds. There are cigarette butts with lipstick on them in their ashtrays. Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino), along with his sidekick Sherman (John Goodman), decide to enter their own ad in the lonely hearts column, and try to match the killer's fingerprints.

A great premise that definitely justifies making yet another police procedural, this Al Pacino vehicle won this reviewer over, which is hard to do these days with cop thrillers - once you see enough they all start to look the same.

But here we've got a great script, with some terrific wisecracking cop lines, great actors, especially Pacino, Goodman and sexy Ellen Barkin - which make for a very enjoyable ride. Sure the score is a little 80's, and Ellen Barkin may look back and regret that hair-do, but otherwise this is a very successful piece of film.

This is largely due to the terrific screen presence of Al Pacino - he's such a firecracker! And the hugely enjoyable chemistry between partners Pacino and John Goodman. They play off each other so well. The dating scenes are particularly fun - personal highlights for me. And, of course, Ellen Barkin exudes sensuality. Its incredible.

The title may sound pulpy and cheap - but its for good cause. We find out in the first few minutes that its the name of the song the killer was playing when the first murder of the film occured. Its also ironic - the crime-ridden world of this film is anything but a sea of love.

7/10. Must-see for Pacino fans and fans of cop thrillers. For everyone else, not essential, but great saturday night fair.

Al Pacino is excellent as the lonely and alcoholic Frank Keller, a veteran New York City cop, hot on the trail of a serial killer. In addition to Keller, and his tough-minded romantic interest, Helen, played well by Ellen Barkin, a third major character is the city wherein the story takes place. Ronnie Taylor's noirish cinematography and Trevor Jones' appropriately downbeat score paint rather a lonely picture of nighttime Manhattan, with all that colorful and flashy neon and the dreary rain. The overall effect is a sense of psychological isolation, alienation, and ... danger.

It's a perfect setting for a story about a series of murders, seemingly tied together by oldies-but-goodies songs. Keller searches for a killer who seems normal, but on the inside is a smoldering volcano. As a murder mystery, "Sea Of Love" works, because of its focus, and because of its restrictive narration. The viewer knows what Frank Keller knows, but nothing more. Clues are very subtle, and lie more in what is not said, than what is said. The ending was a surprise to me. I did not see it coming.

I have a couple of problems with the film, neither of which is serious. First, there are several plot segments that seem unnecessary, and could have been edited out. Second, certain scenes involving the victims are confusing.

"Sea Of Love" is a mystery/thriller that I recommend highly. It is psychologically intense, and it has an atmosphere that is suitably sinister. The acting, the music, the cinematography, the script, and the production design are all credible. And I could listen all day to that oldies-but-goodies song by Phil Phillips, from 1959.

Sea of Love is directed by Harold Becker and written by Richard Price. It stars Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Michael Rooker and William Hickey. Music is by Trevor Jones and Ronnie Taylor is the cinematographer. Plot has Pacino as New York Police Detective Frank Keller, a borderline alcoholic and lonely after his wife left him for one of his colleagues. Tracking a serial killer of men, an investigation set-up leads him to date a number of women with the idea of obtaining forensic evidence off of the wine glasses. One of these women is sultry blonde, Helen Cruger (Barkin), who Frank starts to have a passionate relationship with…..

The erotic thriller is a tough premise to get right on film, so many elements have to fall in to place for the film to win over critics and film goers alike. Chemistry of lead cast members, a gripping plot, plausible outcome, and so on. Too many over the years have failed miserably at it, resorting to either gratuitous tactics or simple star casting to entice the paying public in to the theatre. Sea of Love is not a complete success, but it's certainly one of the best of its type. Were it not for a weak murder motive that's not fully explored, resulting in something of an unsatisfying finale, we would probably be talking about Sea of Love being the template movie for the erotic thriller.

All else that leads up to the last 15 minutes is sizzling, Barkin and Pacino spark in every scene they share, where even with the sex scenes, the fact that Barkin towers over Pacino doesn't detract from the sexual chemistry, it adds to it. It's smart, too, that we don't see Barkin for the first third of the movie, the anticipation builds up and thankfully upon arriving into the picture she doesn't disappoint. Goodman is ebullient and makes a good foil for Pacino's haggard life sucks act, his Sherman an easy to get on side with character.

The guessing game at the heart of the plot is well handled by the makers, there's no stupid giveaways or overkill of red herrings, while the edgy lonely hearts basis for both the killings and the investigative trap is nicely written by Richard Price. Fusing both loneliness and sexual needs together as one, Becker is able to get much emotional mileage out of the story. If only the ending could have made good on the promise shown. Come the last 15 minutes the "is she or isn't she the killer?" factor has run out of steam, with what follows inducing cries of "oh, is that it?"- instead of- "oh my god!". Damn shame that. 7.5/10

Within a kind of light and shadow there's almost a trademark photography for a film noir movie, and "Sea of Love" is a film that takes place in the shadows…

Al Pacino plays Frank Teller, a self-conscious detective—in search of a serial killer—drawn into a torrid sexual relationship with an attractive young woman he met in a super market when all the good citizens of the city are asleep and the people who are walking around are the ones who are leading the most solitary lives…

Helen Barkin is just so right for the part… You can believe her when you see her dressed in her red leather jacket and tight jeans… She's a lady of the night, sexy as hell, and a woman who can take care of herself… Between her and Pacino, there were enough attraction that's deep but also there were feelings of vulnerability and suspicion

I remember seeing Sea of Love at the theater in 1989 and left saying to myself I had just seen one of the best thrillers made. Sea of Love is just one of those movies that kept me in great suspense and excitement I really felt surprised in the end when the killer was revealed. Since then I have caught Sea of Love about a dozen times on cable and still to this day enjoy the thrilling drama. The story is just great with the legend Al Pacino as Detective Frank Keller who tries to catch and bait a lonely hearts killer. Pacino is helped in his search by Detective Sherman played great by the very funny John Goodman this was one of the better performances from Goodman. Then the search takes a good but yet a bad turn when Pacino (Detective Frank Keller) finds an interesting friend a very sexy and erotic type looking female played marvelously by the attractive Ellen Barkin. I must say that with the stunning performance Ellen gave with this role she should have gotten any work she wanted to in films. I will not say nothing to any of you who haven't seen the film I will let you enjoy the surprise like I did the first time I saw Sea of Love. Sea of Love doesn't get the respect it deserves still it airs on cable but watch this on a dark and rainy night alone or day for that matter and feel the thrills and suspense of this steaming thriller you would see it's one of the best films around I don't see who would or could dislike this so take a swim in the sea of love!

Without Al Pacino to lend it credibility this dangerous (and all-too familiar) romance between the cop and the beautiful murder suspect might have been just another modern thriller, complete with routine doses of obsessive foreplay and glossy film noir visuals. But with the right actor in the right role and with some clever dialogue the film is able (at times) to rise above the curious banality of its title (and title song), and the sexism of its scenario. Ellen Barkin plays every frustrated cop's dream assignment: a nymphomaniac single mother, suspected of stalking lonely men through personal ads and leaving them dead (presumably) at the moment of sexual climax. Pacino is too good an actor for such a disposable, transparently male fantasy, but he's in good company with John Goodman, who gets plenty of mileage out of his standard jolly fat buddy role. But the throwaway revelation of the killer's true identity is anticlimactic, and the violent surprise ending is almost ruined by a totally bogus, happily-ever-after epilogue.

This is one great movie, not only a thriller which it is also. Sometimes a movie will come out so that watching it will be like reading a good book. This is one of few. Excellent script, great acting and directing and photo – and the additional point in introducing Barkin's character far into the film makes for a much more convincing narrative. Both Pacina and Barkin have always been great actors, and here they are at their best, perhaps because of a certain tension between them – one cannot decide if they are friends personally or hate each other, or perhaps they create the ambivalence just because they are superb actors. Anyway, I don't know if this one got any major awards, but it sure should have. Besides Barkin is one hell of a woman, and I supposed that Pacino is one hell of a man.

Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin were both pretty good in this crime drama about a detective tracking a serial killer. There's some good drama in this movie, coupled with excellent chemistry between Pacino and Barkin. There's some particularly slow moving parts to the movie, other parts that are so so but through it all the story is involving as is the enfolding relationship between Pacino and Barkin so for the most part it keeps you wanting to know what happens next. The main problem is when Pacino and Barken are not on screen together, the movie can get a bit dull.This is not a great movie or a remarkable movie but a solid crime drama that's good to view once if not already seen.I'd say 6 out of 10.

The only reason I could even give this film above a 1 is that Al Pacino's performance prevented me from leaving the room until it was over. I did have to pause it a number of times simply because I was bored and other things caught my attention, however.

How a movie which was put together so poorly received a 6.7 is beyond me. It doesn't know where it wants to go, is it a thriller, a cop movie, or a love story? I still haven't figured that one out.

The ending felt like a forced twist. It was also too quick. I felt a "Now you see it, now you don't" type of impression during the last few minutes.

Pacino and Barkin have no chemistry, and the fact they don't even bother to give us Helen's last name should tell you all you need to know about character development.

I'm sure glad I rented this one for free. But even then, I felt cheated as I wasted my time.

New York City police set up a fake "Meet the Yankees" breakfast with invitations to entrap hard-to-catch criminals. Frank Keller (Al Pacino) rises to the stage and tells the bad news that instead of the Yankees showing up, there will be plenty of cops and arrests. Apprehended is Samuel L. Jackson, one of the bad guys. We do not see him any more as this is early in his career. So begins "Sea of Love."

Three men are individually shot to death after being forced to lay face down solo in bed butt-naked while listening to the 1959 oldie "Sea of Love." As the clues include lipstick-smeared cigarettes and classified newspaper ads for companionship, police suspicions fall onto a female character. The police have noted that all three of the deceased men have answered the only three rhythmic newspaper dating ads.

Middle-aged, depressed, and hard-drinking detective Frank Keller, a veteran NYC cop of twenty years, is divorced and lonely. His ex-wife has left him for a fellow policeman. Keller teams up with Detective Sherman (John Goodman) from Queens to track down the serial killer. The colleagues convince their superior (John Spencer), a lieutenant, of their plan to go undercover and place a lonely-hearts want ad that rhymes in the local newspaper. The arrangement is to meet the women in a busy restaurant and take finger prints from their drinking glasses. They take turns posing as waiters. Over time, Keller falls hard for tight-skirted suspect Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin) and they develop a serious relationship against Frank's better sense of judgment. Frank is relieved when he later discovers that Helen has no prior record. But the relationship turns tempestuous after Keller admits that he is a cop.

One night at Helen's apartment Frank spots newspaper clippings on the refrigerator with the personal ads of the three dead men circled. Now Frank feels that Helen may be the murderess after all. During the next tryst at Frank's apartment, Helen plays her 45-record "Sea of Love." Frank of course freaks out (hilariously), and after a confrontation with Helen she storms out. At the denouement a different character enters the scenario, one whom we met very briefly early on. So the ending does come as a surprise albeit there were a couple of isolated clues along the way.

"Sea of Love" features enchanting character development, atmosphere, and story-line, although New York City locations are not used to good advantage. The morals of the movie are dubious at best. Nevertheless Al Pacino is almost always great, and one wonders how he had never won an Academy Award for Best Actor until 1993 (for 1992's "Scent of a Woman"). His performances in such films as "The Godfather" (1972), "Serpico" (1973), and "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975) were nothing short of dazzling. In "Sea of Love" John Goodman and Ellen Barkin act well too. Pacino's chemistry with Barkin is fantastic, and askance-looking Barkin simply exudes raw sexuality that lights up the silver screen in probably her best role. Did she really need to comb the personals? Hey, we're talking Hollywood, so what did you expect?

Frank - Al Pacino - has just reached his 20th year with the NYPD. This milestone brings no joy, as his wife left him for a colleague. However, a new case captures his attention. A man is found facedown in bed, bullet to his skull, with an old 45 record playing Sea of Love on the turntable. A second case exactly the same is found. One key common denominator is both men placed rhyming personal ads in the paper. Then a third man is killed. Placing a poetic personal ad for the Dept, Frank interviews women who answer. One is Helen - Ellen Barkin - who attracts Frank romantically. She couldn't be a killer, huh ? This creepy thriller has two good stars, a decent script and a theme song which gives everyone goosebumps along the way. Most mystery film lovers will find this one a good view.

When I saw this film, I didnt really expect much because the rating wasnt real high, I guess I got about what I expected. This film was a big comeback for Al Pacino after several bombs, I can understand why. It's certainly a very watchable movie, but it never quite reaches greatness. It has a great cast which includes John Goodman and Ellen Barkin. It's rather predictable and slow at times, but the ending makes up for it. Leonard Maltin gave it ***1/2 out of ****, I think he went a little overboard on that, its more like **1/2 out of ****.

In Manhattan, Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) is an efficient and veteran cop with twenty years on the force, who is lonely and misses his ex-wife Denise. She left him to live with his colleague from the same precinct Gruber (Richard Jenkins). When a killer kills his victim with a shot on the neck and leaves a single playing "Sea of Love", Frank is in charge of the investigation. Detective Sherman, from a district outside Manhattan, joins Frank when a second victim is killed in the same MO. They find that both victims have written poetry in the lonely hearts column of the single magazine "New York Weekly". When there is a third case, Frank convinces his chief to write for the magazine and work undercover investigating the women that reply the advertisement. Frank fall in love for the prime suspect, the manager of a shoe store Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), jeopardizing his investigation.

"Sea of Love" is one of the best and most underrated thrillers ever. I do not know how many times I have seen this movie since the release in the movie theaters, then on VHS and now on DVD. The classy story is a film-noir perfectly developed, and shows one of the most erotic love scenes of the cinema history. Al Pacino is simply perfect, showing a perfect chemistry with the sexy Ellen Barkin, who is in the top of her career, and also with John Goodman. The soundtrack is also one of the most beautiful of the cinema, and the CD with eleven songs is fantastic. Samuel L Jackson, in the beginning of career, plays a criminal in the story with a minor participation. My vote is nine.

Title(Brazil): "Vítimas de uma Paixão" ("Victims of a Passion")

Predictable but a fun concept. I think if it hadn't been so interested in the trite toxic af cop trope. You watch these late 80s early 90s flicks especially and it's just all these writers pushing these male characters who are usually incompetent in mind and especially emotionally. The hard boiled genre really made an impact on Hollywood.

This has some great acting and treats the male detective trope a bit better, but not by much. Most of the time it's just him messing up by being a jerk to the femme fatale and then trying to make up until he can't.

It's moody, atmospheric, and decent enough; for what it is.

Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin sizzle in this murder-mystery/love-story. For all those guys out there that are forced to watch 'chick flicks' and for the ladies that sit through over violent action thrillers, here is a movie both will enjoy. Pacino has made a career at attracting both men and women in his movies and you will be hard pressed to find a more beautiful woman than Barkin in this movie. John Goodman is a Detective and Pacino's partner reminiscent of another very good Ellen Barkin Love-Thriller 'The Big Easy' with Dennis Quaid. In 'Sea Of Love' the passionate love making combined with several possible endings in classic 'who-done-it?' style, will keep your attention and mood in check. Light candles and break out the wine you won't be sorry.

A 49 year old Al Pacino is at the center of this crime flick as a workaholic New York homicide detective on the trail of a serial killer while having a sordid affair with a woman (Barkin) who could be the killer. "Sea of Love" provides nonstop drama with little action while Pacino wrestles with issues including an exwife, a lover, alcohol, burn-out, and, of course, the killer. A three star flick, "Sea of Love" is a must see for Pacino fans and solid entertainment for all others into crime dramas.

New York police detectives Al Pacino and John Goodman investigate serial killings stemming from the classifieds; since the victims are married men cheating on their wives, the pair figure the killer to be a woman scorned. From director Harold Becker's handling to Richard Price's screenplay to--most especially--Trevor Jones' erotic music, everything in "Sea of Love" is revved up for a sleek horniness. The mystery-angle of the plot seems to take a backseat to naked limbs and orgasmic sounds. Still, the film doesn't pulsate with sex as much as it does skim over its surface. By the end, it all looks fairly silly and dire. Goodman does very likable work, but Pacino and Ellen Barkin are an oddly aloof pair--they're a photogenic couple, but do we really care what happens to either of them? ** from ****