City by the Sea

2002 Drama

A man struggling to come to terms with the sins of his father makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime in a drama based on a true story. Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his past; four decades earlier, Vincent's father Angelo killed a young child, and since then Vincent has carried emotional scars from this incident that he refuses to show to the world. Vincent lives alone in a small apartment building, though he has nurtured a close if tentative relationship with his downstairs neighbor, Michelle (Frances McDormand). One day, Vincent and his partner, Reg Duffy (George Dzundza), are assigned to investigate a murder when the body of a young man is found dead in a dumpster. It turns out the body was that of a drug dealer, and the dealer's partner in crime, Spyder (William Forsythe), believes the killer was one of his regular customers -- a junkie would-be musician who calls himself Snake (Brian Tarantina). City By the Sea was adapted from a piece by journalist Mike McAlary which first appeared in Esquire magazine; the cast also includes Eliza Dushku and Anson Mount. more..

Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Starring: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand,James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe

Reviews

  • Not an extraordinary movie. In its workmanship it aspires not to be remarkable but to be well made, dependable, moving us because of the hurt in the hero's eyes.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Moves along with a quietude, a scruffy direct plainness that has long gone out of style.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • It's so bleak that it would play like a contrived neo-noir if it weren't so consistent, committed and obviously sincere.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    19 January 2013

  • It's a run-of-the-mill cop thriller but also a gripping family drama. It is in the moments spent untangling the threads of troubled relationships that the movie is at its best.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • The cast and the direction are too good, in the end, for the rather desultory place the movie ends up.

    Stephen Hunter - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Supporting Actor

    Chlotrudis Awards (2003)