City by the Sea | | Cast : | Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco | | Director : | Michael Caton-Jones | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | September 06, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | February 03, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 12, 2005 | | Summary | I was not that impressed.... | Content
 | As far as crime drama's go, this one is down, way down on the list...cannot hold up to recent greats like Taking Lives or Insomnia. DeNiro starred in HEAT but it was directed well and had an great storyline. This story just doesn't add enough suspense..it reminds me of some cop show from the 70's or early 80's. If you can, I would recommend skipping this movie and watching HEAT, Taking Lives, or Insomnia. Much better on a scale of 1-5. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 31, 2005 | | Summary | A movie worth watching! | Content
| City by the Sea brings to the screen the story of a police officer who finds himself stuck between a rock and hard place as he has to arrest his own son.
It is a movie about human relations, hope and second chances, but most importantly about trust, inner strength, courage, sacrifice, and how love can overcome and prevail even in the most difficult of situations.
Robert De Niro, James Franco and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least. All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The setting, the plot, the dialogues, and the music are all wonderful!
In conclusion, City by the Sea is a movie guaranteed to provide an evening's entertainment; it is one of those films that gets you and keeps you thinking long after it's over.
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| Rating | | | Date | March 11, 2005 | | Summary | City by the Sea | Content
| If you want action, blood, gore, thrills, and cheap tricks; stay away from this one. This takes you back to the way a movie was told without all the hoopla. You find yourself getting involved and relating to the characters. Is it so bad to see emotional conflict, intense situations, reality, and still have a happy ending? This is a unique story of a family torn apart and eventually brought back together after many years. It takes place in the down and hardened east coast 'cities by the sea'. The emotions seem heartfelt and there is plenty of action. I thought the performances were all exceptional. In fact everything about this movie is quite exceptional, so why it didn't get better reviews or doesn't linger on the mind longer is sort of a mystery then. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 11, 2005 | | Summary | Good, But Flawed | Content
| City By The Sea is actually based on true events. Although it was a good movie, the whole setting and design was dull, and the actors,besides DeNiro, weren't casted well. Frances wasn't that bad, but they could have picked somebody besides James Franco (he is a good actor, but his whole role in this one was terrible). Good movie, but only focus on DeNiro. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 27, 2004 | | Summary | A great movie about relationships, responsibility and life | Content
| De Niro is a great actor. No one questions that, but lately people have been criticizing him for the roles he chooses to take, with his presence being the only saving grace in some of those films (Showtime for example). Fortunately this movie does not require De Niro to make it stand although his presence in it definitely makes it that much better.
The story is an excellent one that reminds us all of the importance of family in the development of a child. De Niro is a dead-beat dad whose refuge from his failures is in his job as a policeman. His son, possibly as a result of his lack of a role model in life turns out to be a junkie who feeds his habit by any possible means.
One night while buying some drugs, the situation becomes ugly and he murders the drug-dealer unintentionally. From there things go downhill (as if things weren't already bad). He is wanted by the supplier of his supplier and by the Police (including his father) for the murder of the drug-dealer. To add to the already messed up situation, his girlfriend is almost penniless and has to look after his son while he finds a way to clean himself up. In addition to all that, Deniro's already inimical relationship with his ex-wife becomes even more strained when he has to face her to talk to her about their son.
This is realistic drama and it deals with the choices that we all make in life and the responsibilities we have to face up to, some of the speeches in the film really drive this point home. -
Deniro : I remember the day you were born
Son: I remember the day you left
(When Deniro tries to convince son to hand himself over)
An earlier reviewer mentioned the realism in this movie and I would have to agree, Deniro is a versatile actor, and he is convincing in this role (you completely forget he was the Don once) the supporting cast is brilliant and make this film entertaining.
I would highly recommend this film, a good message and a great movie.
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