Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Acting - Depressing Story
Review: This adaptation of a true story should appeal to fans of cop movies, especially NYC area residents and movie goers who appreciate well directed stories with excellent performances by good actors. Robert DeNiro is superb as Vincent LaMarca, a veteran cop whose estranged son Joey Nova (well played by James Franco) is accused of the murder of a local drug dealer and then of DeNiro's partner (George Dzundza who reprises his Law and Order persona) during an arrest attempt. Patty Lupone adds energy in her brief appearance as DeNiro's embittered former wife and Frances McDormand makes the most of her part as the downstairs girlfriend who gets involved in the unfolding drama and gradually learns of DeNiro's past, including the fact that his father had been executed for murder when he was still a boy.
This is not just about Vince Lamarca saving his son from a police force bent on vengenance for a fellow officer's death, but rather an examination of how a father and son attempt to understand and overcome their estrangement and the many wrong turns in their lives that have led to the present situation. The movie has only brief scenes of violence, a moderate amount of action, and is primarily a story of the deterioration in the life of Joey from a high school football hero to a drug addict set against the skillfully illustrated counterpoint of the deterioration of the boardwalk in the town of Long Beach where the family lived and most of the movie occurs.
In addition to the uniformly good performances by the cast,there were several other elements that made me decide to rate the movie as high as a four. First, the direction and editing were also first rate; the story was told in an absorbing manner and the complexities of the characters and their interrelationships as the situation unfolded were developed in a manner that kept your attention. Second, the fact that the story is true is what makes it riveting and separates it from the traditional cop movie or TV series. Third, the violence is only used as necessary to tell the story, not for shock value or sensationalism. And last and very important, despite the depressing nature of the story, the ending leaves you with some hope for the repair of broken relationships and shattered lives (especially for the next generation), rather than being either a nihilistic conclusion or a contrived feel goodism ending such as ofter occur in this movie genre.
Rating: 
Summary: A good movie trapped inside a bad one
Review: "City By The Sea" commits what is, in my opinion, the worst cinematic sin of all: wasted potential. Even with a cast featuring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, and James Franco, this movie never quite gets off the ground. Or, to put it more accurately, it gets off the ground only to come crashing back to it as things wear on. The concept is promising enough: with his estranged junkie son on the run from a murder rap following a failed drug deal, De Niro's veteran homicide detective must try to bring him in safely while simultaneously facing up to his own shoddy record as a husband and father. This led me to expect an interesting take on the traditional cop fare, especially during the movie's admittedly strong first half. Set in New Jersey, "City By The Sea" is helped by the some great visuals of a decaying suburban landscape that perfectly augment its overall mood of despair. The problem is, the people who made this movie don't know when to quit. This is the classic drama that tries too hard, becoming increasingly more earnest until it collapses under the weight of its own seriousness. One problem after another gets piled on the embattled De Niro, and it seems his principal response is to become ever more befuddled by his situation. With its combination of cop drama and family drama, "City By The Sea" takes on some serious subject matter, and it ends up becoming TOO serious, with nothing to lighten the emotional load on the audience, especially when the characters start speaking in sound bites and monologues. Even the occasional moments of humor found early on dissipate after a little while. The best and most entertaining thing about this movie is William Forsythe's mullet.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Role Model
Review: City By The Sea is an excellent video for my collection of
DeNiro movies, keep up the excellent movie making.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful Drama
Review: For potential viewers expecting an adrenaline-induced action-packed cop caper, please look elsewhere. CITY BY THE SEA is about fathers and sons. It's about guilt, frustration, abandonment, estrangement. Yet despite the bleak tone established by this movie--along with a lethargic pace--the bond between father and son perseveres. Robert De Niro is almost one-dimensional throughout most of his role as veteran Manhattan Police Detective Vincent LaMarca. Vince stays on a fairly even keel, even though the audience knows he's suppressing a ton of emotional baggage and guilt. When at last his troubled son is on the verge of being taken out by a very motivated police force, Vince lets everything spill out: his guilt, his remorse, his pain--his love. It was marvelous acting, chilling to the bone. And extremely effective. James Franco and George Dzundza headline a wonderful supporting cast. Unfortunately, Frances McDormand's character added nothing to the story, other than a sense of frustration when she exhibits less than stellar loyalty to Vince upon learning about all of his troubles. CITY BY THE SEA is highly recommended for all fathers and sons who have had to mend some fences over the course of their relationships. You will be affected--guaranteed.
--D. Mikels
Rating: 
Summary: Dreary and slow
Review: I am giving this film three stars because of the wonderful performances by James Franco and Frances McDormand (who wouldn't know how to turn in a bad performance if she tried.) As well, Eliza Dushku does a fine job as Franco's girlfriend and mother of his child. However the film drags and would've benefited from some judicious editing before being released. While it may be based on a true story, the script is tiresome and provokes laughter where I doubt it was intended. Certainly, the audience chortled away through the screening I saw. While Franco is wonderful and entirely believable as the left-behind, drug-addicted son of a New York City cop who couldn't get past his ex-wife (Patti Lupone, being tiresome as usual) to see his son, DeNiro's performance is, at best, workmanlike. And, weirdly, his cop partner is George Dzundza--who seems to be in a reprise of his role as Chris Noth's partner in the first season of Law & Order. Points go to the cinematographer for an unfiltered view of Manhattan looking like Manhattan and not some production designer's idea of what the city ought to look like, and of Long Beach in all its desolate ugliness. As well, there are some beautifully framed and well-lit shots. But these attributes do not tally up to a particularly compelling film. There's just way too much exposition, a couple of places where people go completely out of character, and a lot dialogue and actions you can see coming from miles away. Wait for the video on this one.
Rating:
Summary: A good movie trapped inside a bad one
Review: "City By The Sea" commits what is, in my opinion, the worst cinematic sin of all: wasted potential. Even with a cast featuring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, and James Franco, this movie never quite gets off the ground. Or, to put it more accurately, it gets off the ground only to come crashing back to it as things wear on. The concept is promising enough: with his estranged junkie son on the run from a murder rap following a failed drug deal, De Niro's veteran homicide detective must try to bring him in safely while simultaneously facing up to his own shoddy record as a husband and father. This led me to expect an interesting take on the traditional cop fare, especially during the movie's admittedly strong first half. Set in New Jersey, "City By The Sea" is helped by the some great visuals of a decaying suburban landscape that perfectly augment its overall mood of despair. The problem is, the people who made this movie don't know when to quit. This is the classic drama that tries too hard, becoming increasingly more earnest until it collapses under the weight of its own seriousness. One problem after another gets piled on the embattled De Niro, and it seems his principal response is to become ever more befuddled by his situation. With its combination of cop drama and family drama, "City By The Sea" takes on some serious subject matter, and it ends up becoming TOO serious, with nothing to lighten the emotional load on the audience, especially when the characters start speaking in sound bites and monologues. Even the occasional moments of humor found early on dissipate after a little while. The best and most entertaining thing about this movie is William Forsythe's mullet.
Rating:
Summary: Good acting, Very Good storyline.
Review: This is a movie with a good handle on reality-- warts and all. It focusses on imperfect characters who feel completely real-- incuding DeNiro, whose acting, bad haircut, extra weight, and "average joe" clothing all successfully overcome our preconceived notion of DeNiro as a top-of-his-game mafiosa.
Instead, we see DeNiro, but AS THIS CHARACTER: a warts-and-all cop & bad father, looking for a second chance. Also, DeNiro's star power doesn't overshadow this movie's second plotline, about a junkie (DeNiro's son), also looking for a second chance....and some kind of family life. Likewise, the physical setting and peripheral relationships all have a REAL feel. Viewers will come away with the feeling that this is the seamy, redeemable side of real life.. a place you wouldn't want to live, but a state you can recover from. *spoilers ahead. Stop reading now, if you hate spoilers.*
We get a happy ending, but not a Hollywood unbelievable ending. Some of the relationships STAY fractured, and other elements of the resolution also have that real, imperfect, but therefore acceptably non-saccharine happy ending.
Rating:
Summary: The Sins of the Fathers . . .
Review: "City by the Sea" begins as a typical cop drama - Vincent DeMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a good solid New Jersey cop with a history. His father was executed as a "baby-killer", and now Vincent's own son Joey (James Franco), whom he abandoned as a young boy, is a strung out junkie suspected of killing DeMarca's partner. The scenes are predictably dingy and muted, with Frances McDormand popping out of her apartment now and then as DeMarca's girlfriend. The first part of this movie honestly felt like the pilot for a new television drama - with calculated character introductions and back story. But then something marvelous happens: the quality of the acting kicks in to elevate the film beyond its script. James Franco is astonishingly convincing as a junkie who both loves and despises his father, and DeNiro fools us into believing he's just an ordinary guy until the moment when all the layers are stripped off. Frances McDormand does a competent job with what she is given (not much) while adding a needed texture to DeMarca's life. This film is probably the quietest cop drama I've ever seen because it's not about crimes one can be arrested for. It probes the fragile relationship between fathers and sons, and the obligations each needs to face. The film never picks up the slow paces it sets up in the beginning, so those hoping for the high action of traditional cop dramas will be disappointed. Make no mistake: this is a three-star movie raised to four stars by the performances of DeNiro and Franco. Still, the pivotal scene is a powerful one.
Rating:
Summary: Good, well-paced story and excellent actors. Recommended!
Review: Starring Robert DiNiro, this film is based on a true story. It's about a cop, himself the son of a convicted murderer, whose junkie son is wanted for murder. That's the theme, although the facts of the case were changed in order to make the film play well to the largest possible audience. Even the location was changed. It's supposed to take place in Long Beach, New York, a place I'm somewhat familiar with. However, the setting didn't look at all like the Long Beach I know. It was only later that I found out it was shot in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It might seem like a small detail to those not familiar with the geography. But to me it sounded a discordant note throughout. This is a good story though and it didn't matter that it wasn't authentic. It was well written, well paced and called for exellent actors. James Franco is cast as Joey, the drug-addict son. He made me feel disgusted with him as well as sorry for him all at once as I got caught up in his escalating predicament and his resultant terrors. He's a fine actor and I can see him as a rising star to watch. Patti LuPone plays his divorced mother. I could see she felt love for her son in spite of her anger and feelings of hopelessness. Frances McDormand plays DiNiro's girlfriend. She's a wonderful actress, and this is a small part for her. She plays it well though and I could feel her conflicting emotions as she is forced to deal with DiNiro's guilt and psychological burden. There's also Eliza Dushku as the young mother of Joey's child, George Dzunda as DiNiro's cop partner and William Forsythe as the bad guy. All are excellent. But the film belongs entirely to DiNiro, who is such a good actor that we tend to take his magnificent performances for granted. In this film I could forget he was acting and identify with this man who was trying to hide his feelings. His suffering comes through clearly and I could relate to him completely, especially in the scenes with his baby grandson. This will probably be considered a small movie by the critics and not worthy of awards. It a way it seems like just another well-done episode from a cop show on television. The plot is predictable. There are some scenes worthy of a soap opera. And it's all done with a low budget. But I wasn't bored for a moment, there were tears in my eyes, and I found each of the characters so well developed that my heart went out to each of them. Don't discount this film. It's worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A must see movie
Review: Vincent LaMarca,otherwise the famous De Niro, is a respected homicide detective of NYC but soon he's faced with the toughest case ever. His son Joey, is involved in a murder and he's on the run - haunted by a gangster and law too. Who will be the first to catch him???
Vincent's life gets harder each day. At the same time he has to serve the law but also try to save his son from a crime he could have never committed!
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