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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

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

My review was written in August 1989 after watching the film at Universal screening room in Manhattan.

Hot summer box office should continue into autumn with Universal's "Sea of Love", a suspenseful film noir boasting a superlative performance by Al Pacino as a burned-out Gotham cop.

Handsomely mounted Martin Bregman production benefits from a witty screenplay by Richard Price ("The Color of Money" scripter), limning the bittersweet tale of a 20-year veteran NYC cop (Pacino) assigned to a case tracking down the serial killer of men who've made dates through the personal columns.

He teams up with fellow cop John Goodman to set a trap for the murderer by matching fingerprints with those found at the crime scenes. Clue point to a woman being the killer, placing rhyming romantically inclined ads in the personals and leaving a 45 rpm disk of '50s hit "Sea of Love" on the record player. Using a romantic poem of his mother's, Pacino places an ad and with Goodman they take turns interviewing femme suspects at dinner trysts to get their fingerprints on the wine glass for matching.

Early on, Ellen Barkin appears as one of the suspects, but after an initial rebuff Pacino is smitten with her and crucially decides not to get her fingerprints for analysis. Pic builds some hair-raising twists and turns as the evidence mounts pointing to her guilt, climaxing in a very surprising revelation.

Thankfully closer in character to "Serpico", his previous Bregman-produced hit policier by Sidney Lumet, than his morbid Jerry Weintraub flop, William Friedkin's "Cruising", Pacino here brings great depth to the central role. A loner with retirement after 20 years facing him, this cop is a sympathetic, self-divided individual and Pacino makes his clutching at a second chance with femme fatale Barkin believable. It's a significant screen comebak after four years' absence following Pacino's disastrous msicasting (in period dress) in the Irwin Winkler pic, Hugh Hudson's "Revolution".

Chemistry between the two stars is palpable in the modern "Body Heat" vein and Barkin's unconventional (in a movie star sense) good looks add to the credibility of her key role. Goodman provides solid comedy relief, while Patricia Barry stands out in a well-chosen supporting cast as an older woman who heartbreakingly picks up the wrong vibes at dinner after answering Pacino's phony personals ad.

Director Harold Becker, known for his series of thrillers starring James Woods, puts his own stamp on the picture with tight control of several explosive scenes. Price's script is both edgy and funny, balancing solid entertainment values with the dark, obsessive strains of the genre.

Tech contributions are excellent, especially British lenser Ronnie Taylor's atmospheric photography of familiar Manhattan locales (interiors were shot in Toronto). Besides a punchy score by Trevor Jones, title song by George Khoury and Phillip Baptiste is repeated endlessly on the soundtrack inits 1959 hit version of Phil Phillips & the Twilights with a hypnotic effect; Tom Waits warbles a new version over the end credits.

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