CITY BY THE SEA

Year: 2002
USA & UK: Warner Bros
Cast: Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe, George Dzundza, Patti LuPone, Anson Mount, John Doman, Brian Tarantina, Drena De Niro, Michael P Moran, Nestor Serrano, Matthew Cowles, Linda Emond, Cyrus Farmer, Jay Boryea, Leo Burmester, Gregg Edelman Jason Winther, Leslie Cohen, Stephi Lineburg, Mark La Mura, Jill Marie Lawrence, Michael Dellafemina, Jim Marcus, Joanne Lamstein
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Country: USA
UK: 108 mins
USA Rated: R for language, drug use and some violence
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language, violence and hard drug use
USA Release Date: 6 September 2002
UK Release Date: 10 January 2003


Synopsis

Inspired by the 1997 Esquire article Mark of a Murderer, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Mike McAlary, CITY BY THE SEA tells the gripping story of a dedicated police officer who discovers that the chief suspect in his current murder investigation is his own son.

New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are higher for Vincent the suspect he is investigating is his own son, Joey (James Franco).

Vincent and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced Joey's mother and quit a dilapidated 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, Michelle (Frances McDormand), at arms length, yet has a close, platonic relationship with his partner, Reg Duffy (George Dzundza). As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he doesn't have to deal with the pain of his past.

The murder investigation leads Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed 'City by the Sea', where the past has been waiting for him to return. During the course of his investigation, Vincent discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have deeply influenced Joey's life and the destructive choices he has made.

As a cop, Vincent must bring a criminal to justice; as a father, he must find a way to save his son. Now he will put his life on the line in order to do right by both his family and his profession.