La marca del asesino

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.

Straight-laced detective Vincent LaMarca(a pained and restrained Robert DeNiro) has already lived a disrupted and uneven life of broken relationships and the memory of his dad who was imprisoned and executed for the death(later deemed accidental)of a kid that he had kidnapped). As if that weren't enough to bear,his troubled son Joey(JAmes Franco) has ran away and faces trouble with both the law and the baddies,particularly a vile thug named Spyder(William Forsythe). This is the general construct of director Michael Caton-JOnes' and screenwriter Ken Hixon's film. Set in an unspecified part of New Jersey(though one might infer that it's Atlantic City,given the title),this film is mostly character study,with actors Franco,Eliza Dushku(As Joey's scared girlfriend)and Forsythe making the most of their characters,while DeNiro and Frances McDormand(as DeNiro's patient friend and lover) provide fine,if not exception,performances in this drama. Good for a viewing or two. 8 out of 10

Drug addict Joey LaMarca (James Franco) defends himself and kills dealer Picasso. He is injured and goes home to his skeptical mother (Patti LuPone). His estranged father NYPD homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) and his partner Reg Duffy (George Dzundza) are given the case of the dead drug dealer. Spyder (William Forsythe) is also after his associate's killer. Michelle (Frances McDormand) is Vincent's girlfriend. Gina (Eliza Dushku) is Joey's girlfriend and baby mama. Fellow addict Snake rats out Joey.

There are good actors doing solid work. This material could be given a more grim style. This represents a slow slide in the quality of director Michael Caton-Jones. This should be a more intense thriller and a more heart-breaking tragedy. I keep thinking that this movie should be better. The biographical nature does muddy the story. There is an overall lack of intensity.

This is a very good movie. I do not understand why so many of the comments here are negative. The plot is great with no holes. The characters are well developed and the acting is top notch. Maybe the lack of computer animation or computer generated special effects or car chases or machine guns blazing away turned some of you off. If you like dramas that are heavy on acting and character development, you will like this movie. The filming locations are very fascinating too. I am not sure where the boardwalk scenes are filmed (Asbury NJ or Yonkers NY) but it looks just like a formerly popular beach front local, that is now a ghost town. Very underrated by the IMDb voters.

"City by the Sea" is all about De Niro as a New York homicide detective who views the world as black and white and has trouble dealing with the grays of interpersonal relationships. Adrift between a broken home history, an ex-wife, a companion and bed mate (McDormand), and a adult son junkie (Franco), the aging cop protag finds that forging needed reconciliations is more difficult than busting the scumbags on his beat. A solid three star drama, "City by the Sea" is a must see for De Niro fans and a good watch for anyone into gritty dramas. (B+)