City by the Sea
| City by the Sea | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Caton-Jones |
| Produced by |
Don Carmody Andrew Stevens Roger Paradiso Dan Klores |
| Written by | Ken Hixon |
| Based on |
Mark of a Murderer 1997 Esquire article by Michael McAlary[1] |
| Starring |
Robert De Niro Frances McDormand James Franco Eliza Dushku William Forsythe George Dzundza |
| Music by | John Murphy |
| Cinematography | Karl Walter Lindenlaub |
| Edited by | Jim Clark |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates | September 6, 2002 |
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $29,413,966[2] |
City by the Sea is a 2002 film starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand and William Forsythe. It deals with the family problems of a wayward youth and is set against a man trying to break free of his past. It was directed by Michael Caton-Jones. It is based on the story of Vincent LaMarca.
Plot
Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) is a veteran New York City Police Department detective, whose criminal father had been executed for murder, after a child whom he had kidnapped was killed. Vincent has had to live with this stigma hanging over his own reputation, and history begins to repeat itself when his own son, Joey LaMarca (James Franco), a junkie, becomes involved in a drug-related killing. Joey suddenly comes to the attention of Vincent's current girlfriend, Michelle (Frances McDormand), who was unaware that he even had a son, and she can not understand why Vincent is unwilling to help him.
Joey's girlfriend Gina (Eliza Dushku), who is struggling to stay sober for their infant son Angelo, comes into Vincent's life, asking him to save Joey. She later abandons the child, leaving him with Vincent. Joey gets deeper into trouble when the local drug enforcer, Spyder (William Forsythe), kills Vincent's cop partner Reg (George Dzundza). Reg had been helping Vincent to clear Joey's name, but Joey is blamed for his murder. As his fellow police officers search for Joey as a suspected "cop killer," Vincent decides to set aside his self-imposed isolation, and to help save his son's life.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Vincent LaMarca
- Frances McDormand as Michelle
- James Franco as Joey LaMarca
- Eliza Dushku as Gina
- William Forsythe as Spyder
- George Dzundza as Reg Duffy
- Patti LuPone as Maggie
- Anson Mount as Dave Simon
- John Doman as Henderson
- Brian Tarantina as Snake
- Drena De Niro as Vanessa Hansen
- Nestor Serrano as Rossi
- Michael P. Moran as Herb
- Michael Della Femina as Angelo LaMarca (Vincent's father)
- Dominick Angelo and Pasquale Enrico Cangro as Baby Angelo (Joey and Gina's son)
Production
Although the story is mostly set in the New York City oceanfront suburb of Long Beach, New York, south of Long Island, whose municipal slogan actually is Civitas Ad Mare - Latin for "The City by the Sea"—actual location filming was done in Asbury Park, New Jersey. There is a disclaimer in the credits at the end of the film, which includes scenes set on a shabby, dilapidated-looking boardwalk and in a ruined and abandoned casino/arcade building—explicitly stating that it was not actually filmed in Long Beach .
Reception
City by the Sea received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 48% rating based on reviews from 140 critics.[3]
Notes
- ^ "Mark of a murderer" by Mike McAlary, Esquire magazine, 1997
References
External links
- City by the Sea at the Internet Movie Database
- City by the Sea at Box Office Mojo
- City by the Sea at Rotten Tomatoes
- City by the Sea at AllMovie
- City by the Sea at the American Film Institute Catalog