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City by the Sea

City by the Sea on DVD

Long Beach , the city by the sea, was once a beautiful place. Now it’s about as run down as South Central L.A. and equally friendly.

Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) used to live and work there. Now he’s back in the city with a new love and a new life. He’s not pleased about his past, but he’s doing his best to leave it behind.

His son, Joey, however, is not as lucky. His life has been hell ever since Vincent walked out so many years ago, and now he’s a lowlife drug doer (and sometimes dealer).

When a deal goes horribly wrong, Joey accidentally kills a man known as Picasso. When the cops find the body, Vincent is assigned to the case. And when the trail leads to the son he left oh-so-long-ago, he has to choose between his job and his second chance at family.

The movie itself is not overly compelling. But this is a film about characters, and the performances that drive them. Aside from one of De Niro’s best performances in recent years, the supporting cast of Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku and William Forsythe is equally superb. Franco is an even bigger surprise considering his less-than-spectacular job in Spider-Man.

Even at 108 minutes, City by the Sea seems to drag on for a very long time. Fortunately, you’re having an involving enough time watching the characters that you want to find out what happens, even if it takes all day.

It’s not the best movie ever made, but it’s good enough to watch at least once. If you’re one of those people who are willing to sit through mediocre movies in order to see some great acting, there probably aren’t a lot of better choices out there.

The movie wasn’t exactly box office gold, so it’s no surprise that Warner has provided a very moderate DVD. The picture, presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (or a separate full screen version, dammit) is pretty good. It’s a tad soft, but there is no dust or grain present. We’re not sure why, but the softness actually worked well for the film, giving it a more authentic feel, like we were actually living in the run-down, dirty city by the sea.

The audio is pretty standard. The 5.1 Dolby Digital is used effectively, but there is almost no surround use at all. But again, this movie is about characters, so you really only need the front channels to sufficiently enjoy the film. The left and right front speakers have some good pans, and the sound effects are realistic. For a front-restricted track, this is about as good as you could ask for.

Extras include an audio commentary by director Michael Caton-Jones, and “Six Words About Filmmaking with Michael Caton-Jones,” which isn’t as short as it sounds. The director tells us the six most important words to remember when making a movie, but it could have been quite a bit more informative. Still, it’s an interesting feature that we haven’t seen before.

City by the Sea, from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
108 minutes, anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) 16X9 enhanced, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Starring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, William Forsythe
Produced by Brad Grey, Elie Samaha, Michael Caton-Jones, Matthew Baer
Screenplay by Ken Hixon, Directed by Michael Caton-Jones

 

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Updated May 13, 2006