"City by the Sea" – Unreachable Destination by Homer Yen (c) 2002
"City by the Sea" has all the components of an eloquent parable about family and generational values. Yet, while it's grander than a cable channel made-for-tv film, it doesn't quite feel big enough for the cinematic experience. It's not a bad movie. But you'll forget about it in two days.
That's too bad because it stars the gifted Robert DeNiro, who is always dependable in a cop role. Cop roles are like second nature to him, and his performance is inspired, much better than his cruise-control cop role in "Showtime". Perhaps it's because this story is adapted from real-life events featured in a 1997 Esquire article and the material begs to be made into a movie. Or maybe it's because he's just that good.
Whatever the case, here he plays homicide cop Vincent LaMarca, who has over the years lived down the stigma of his father who was executed for a violent crime. Somehow, through a no-nonsense approach and his ability to shut out emotional pain, Vincent has become one of the most respected men in his precinct. But the pall of his father's shadow remains with him and it becomes even more suffocating when his troubled son, Joey (James Franco), whom he had abandoned many years ago, is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Despite papa LaMarca's years of neglect, he attempts to reach out to him because he knows what will happen if the wrong cop gets to him first. That's tough for him, because he can't even open up to his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Michelle (Frances McDormand), whose pragmatism is a blessing that goes largely unnoticed by Vincent.
Franco, whom we've seen as Peter Parker's friend in "Spiderman," shows that he is good in roles in which the character feels loneliness, desperation, and shattered dreams. We pity his situation, even when he commits petty crimes to feed his drug habits. Already at rock bottom, Joey's life is about take a turn for the worse when, in a moment sparked by fear and stupidity, he knifes a drug pusher. This homicide not only attracts the attention of the police and his father but also makes him the target of vengeance by a neighborhood drug lord.
The policework, while scintillating and brisk, falls outside of the framework. And, it actually makes the film seem busier than it needs to be. And there was another subplot that involves papa LeMarca's grandson that, while touching, seemed unnecessary. On that note, even the musical score, which evokes feelings of retribution and lost hope, is too grandiose. It makes the movie appear more tragic than it really is.
One can certainly appreciate the symmetry of the story. Vincent's Dad abandoned him when he was young. Vincent has now done the same thing to Joey. There are old pictures of the times when they were happy together. But sometimes, you can never go back home. It's clever to see this theme reinforced with shots of Long Beach itself. We see grainy videos accompanied by tinny old-time music, showing the city by the sea in its heyday, thriving with tourists and denizens alike. But now it is a decaying community where graffiti art is as plentiful as drug dealers and abandoned buildings.
Despite the well-constructed atmosphere and the solid acting, "City by the Sea" feels oddly like the empty boardwalk of Long Beach.
Grade: C+ S: 1 out of 3 L: 3 out of 3 V: 2 out of 3
========== X-RAMR-ID: 32805 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 782485 X-RT-TitleID: 1115969 X-RT-AuthorID: 1370 X-RT-RatingText: C+
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews