City By The Sea Details

The director and star of This Boy's Life — Michael Caton-Jones and Robert De Niro, respectively — reunited for this performance-driven action drama. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mike McAlary's 1997 article for Esquire magazine, the movie is a poignant and powerful reflection on human weakness and the potential agonies of emotional attachment. De Niro plays Vincent LaMarca, a respected New York City homicide detective who is torn between familial and professional notions of duty when a drug dealer's murder is attributed to his estranged son, Joey (James Franco). Swapping his characteristic swagger for a shuffling, tortured vulnerability, De Niro delivers a fine, heart-rending performance. As his screen offspring's life disintegrates, so does he, becoming as weather-beaten and gloomy as the film's bleak locations. Though it is unquestionably De Niro's show, he benefits from some weighty support. Franco plays the resentful time bomb of a son to perfection, while Frances McDormand, as Vincent's intimacy-hungry girlfriend, adds a welcome feminine slant to the proceedings.

Despite being based on a true story, this talky, downbeat drama rarely rings true. The role of veteran cop fits De Niro like a well-worn overcoat, but there's nothing out of the ordinary for either star or audience.