Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. 108 minutes.
Starring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Patti Lupone, George Dzundza, William Forsythe, and Eliza Dushku. Released by Warner Brothers Pictures.
Despite some strong performances, a good moody atmosphere, and a powerful ending, City By the Sea is a film that never really pulls the viewer in like it probably should. This is a film that is comprised of small, but admirable moments that show evidence of a better movie that could have been made from the material. The story is based on a 1997 Esquire article by Mike McAlary, though the film has taken some pretty extensive liberties.
In the film, Robert De Niro plays Vincent La Marca, a respected New York City policeman whose father was a notorious child murderer who faced the electric chair years before the story starts. Divorced and world weary, La Marca lives in an old apartment building where he spends his evenings in the company of, and occasionally the bed, Michelle (Frances McDormand), his neighbor. Meanwhile, Joey La Marca (James Franco), son of Vincent, has gotten himself into a fix. Strung out and homeless, young La Marca finds himself taking part in a drug deal gone wrong. Upon being attacked by a crazed dealer, Joey accidentally stabs the man to death. Ironically, Vincent is given the case, soon finds out that his wayward son is the main suspect, and must decide whether he should turn him in or help him elude the authorities. The relationship between the La Marcas has been mostly one of nonexistence for years. Upon visiting his former wife and mother of Joey (a fierce Patti Lupone), it is obvious why the contact between Vincent and his family has been minimal, at best, over the years. When two policeman search Joey’s home and are shot down by Spyder (William Forsythe), a drug dealer whom Joey owes money, Vincent’s son is, of course, the suspect once again. With two “apparent” murders being pinned on him, Joey hides out in the streets of Long Beach, New York, the so-called “city by the sea” that was once a resort but is now desolate and filled with drug fiends and criminals, while Detective La Marca is put under pressure to settle the matter. It is here where the true story of City By the Sea lies, but unfortunately, it takes a bit too long to get there.
Director Michael Caton-Jones (director of the wonderful Rob Roy and the miserable The Jackal) gives the film the right mood, tone, and setting that is encompassed in the streets of Asbury Park, New Jersey and Long Beach, New York, where much of the film was shot. The deserted beaches and warehouses, the cold and dark boardwalks, and the gloomy apartments that set the backdrop for the story’s actions are near perfect settings for the troubled characters of City By the Sea. Caton-Jones has successfully covered this turf before, and much better I might add, with This Boy’s Life, another film starring Robert De Niro about a father (though in that film, a stepfather) who has a troubled relationship with his son. With City, the problem seems to be that the real story within the movie does not get moving until the film is more than half way over. Storylines and character’s histories are mentioned, but never developed very well. What exactly happened between La Marca and his former wife? There is an explanation as to why La Marca kept away from his son for so many years, but the details are somewhat slim. How did Joey end up on the street when both of his parents have stable jobs and a place to live?
The performances in City By the Sea are its strongest points. De Niro, whom as of late, has resigned himself to working in comedy, gives one of his best performances in several years. As La Marca, he creates a sad, sullen portrait of a man who has seemingly accepted his past and future without much intention of change. He remembers the years of misery that his father’s fate brought him and does not wish the same on his son and, therefore, stays at a distance. In one of the film’s final and best scenes, De Niro confronts his son about how he can avoid the same fate as his grandfather. The result is a moment of nearly unmatchable dramatic power. As Joey, young James Franco exudes the aura of a young James Dean or Marlon Brando (ironically, Franco played Dean in the recent television film about that actor’s life) and gives a raw, honest performance. Frances McDormand, one of our finest actresses, gives a subtle performance as Michelle, Vincent’s girlfriend, much like the one she gave in Wonder Boys, another film in which an intelligent woman helps to put a troubled man’s mind at ease.
Though they nearly save the film, the strong performances in City are just not quite enough. Throughout the course of the story, I felt that the actor’s portrayals warranted a better movie. That is not to say that City By the Sea is a bad film. It is actually quite admirable in more than a few ways, but overall just leaves much to be desired based on the strengths that it already has.