New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) who had a difficult infancy , grew up to become a good police officer . He has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a police officer intensely committed to his work . But Vincent Lamarca has a dark secret , his father was executed for a 1950s kidnapping of a child , and it nowadays comes to publicize as shocking news . Then in his latest case , the stakes are higher for Vincent , the suspect he's investigating results to be his own son (James Franco) . He and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife (Patti LuPone) and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach , Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD . He lives his life in solitude , keeping his girlfriend (wasted Frances McDormand) at arm's length and the closest relationship he maintains is with his colleague, Reg Duffy (George Dzundza) . As Vincent must address his dark family history . When you're searching for a killer... the last suspect you want to see is your son !.

Another De Niro cop flick about an upright police officer whose life goes awry , only to see his own son become a murder , this case leads veteran detective Vincent LaLarca back his to his house town , a rundown Long Island resort , and other troubles with ex-wife and his girlfriend add a tragic dimension to the manhunt of his wayward offspring . Although based on a true story the picture takes some drastic liberties with the facts . The details of Joey's crime have been radically softened , while the real Vincent was retired from the force and the police procedural , performing little part in the chase. This air of phoniness permeates all aspects of the production . Main and support cast are pretty good . James Franco is frankly well , he looks like the perfect junkie , playing the estranged son who emerges as chief suspect . With pretty boy Franco flashing his painfully gaunt cheekbones , the movie veers to heroin chic than to the genuinely harrowing of Aranofsky's Requiem for a Dream. And Frances McDormand as De Niro's on-off sweetheart is really wasted , adding other nice secondaries giving competent performances , such as : Eliza Dushku , William Forsythe , Patti Lupone , Anson Mount , John Doman , Brian Tarantina , Nestor Serrano and even Drena De Niro , Robert De Niro's daughter .

Special mention for the enjoyable and emotive musical score by John Murphy . More ambience is provided by the evocative , visually stunning cinematography by cameraman Karl Walter Lindenlaub with on-location shooting in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ocean Grove , New Jersey, New York City, New York, Long Island . The motion picture was well directed by Michael Caton Jones, despite the odd dull bits , and though makes some overlong . Caton has directed nice films with success enough , such as : "Scandal¨, ¨Memphis Belle¨ , ¨Doc Hollywood¨ , ¨This boy's life¨ , ¨Rob Roy¨, ¨The Jackal¨ , ¨City by the Sea" , among others . Rating : 6,5/10. The picture will appeal to Robert De Niro and James Franco fans .

DiNiro defends his abandoned son. Sooner or later, we all have to stand and face the music. This a depiction of their crossroads, of their choices and consequences: really powerful sh1t. Unfortanately, this is another example of how an out of balance film seems sub-standard, but only because everything else coming out of Hollywood has better production. What's out of balance? you might ask. The acting is excellent, maybe perfect, but there is no Kubrick Factor, there is no memorable music, hurried editing. The old deer hunter pair of DiNiro and Dzundza is still good. McDormand is good. But there's no music! What's missing is dramatic pauses and music. Seems rushed. Real shame this movie and the story it portrays. This could have been so much better. Maybe a classic.

Performance 9 Story 7 score 3 cine 6

The rating scale is my own,... But I think I will continue to use it.

Now that I think of it, in modern dramas there are so many current films that lack these two crucial items; Kubrick and Music. It goes without saying that all modern movies need more development, more patience. Then again, I may be biased and setting the bar too high after watching Clockwork, Godfather, Pulp, Blade Runner, Amadeus, Usual, Apocalypse, Shrek2 and Snatch a hundred times. (Combined...I'm not that sick!)I do believe those are those the most powerful and influential fictional movies I've ever seen. (Schindler, Private Ryan, JFK, don't count...they're docudramas) Maybe I need to get out more often. How do I get to Hollywood?

"City by the Sea" is all about De Niro as a New York homicide detective who views the world as black and white and has trouble dealing with the grays of interpersonal relationships. Adrift between a broken home history, an ex-wife, a companion and bed mate (McDormand), and a adult son junkie (Franco), the aging cop protag finds that forging needed reconciliations is more difficult than busting the scumbags on his beat. A solid three star drama, "City by the Sea" is a must see for De Niro fans and a good watch for anyone into gritty dramas. (B+)