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Sea of Love

Sea of Love (1989)

September. 15,1989
|
6.8
|
R
| Drama Thriller Crime Mystery

Seen-it-all New York detective Frank Keller is unsettled - he has done twenty years on the force and could retire, and he hasn't come to terms with his wife leaving him for a colleague. Joining up with an officer from another part of town to investigate a series of murders linked by the lonely hearts columns he finds he is getting seriously and possibly dangerously involved with Helen, one of the main suspects.

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Actuakers
1989/09/15

One of my all time favorites.

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Smartorhypo
1989/09/16

Highly Overrated But Still Good

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Beanbioca
1989/09/17

As Good As It Gets

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Intcatinfo
1989/09/18

A Masterpiece!

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chaos-rampant
1989/09/19

A man who is starting to feel the pangs of lonely life, late at night he can't stop himself from phoning to an ex-wife that walked out on him. A series of crimes around the city where men turn up dead, lonely men seeking women late at night. He investigates, by posing as one of them, until he meets her.The middle portion revolves around these two selves in him trying to decide on the narrative; the lonely guy who's finally found her versus the cop whose job is to suspect her, even if that means she's the killer that he has to bring in. He settles for the latter, until a horrible version of himself is spat out by the story in the end, a man broken after his wife walked out on him. He gets to wrestle this uglier side of himself and come out on the other end for her purged of demons.That's all fine but it labors itself by trying to be one of those "character studies" that Methodist actors seem to gravitate to, Pacino here. A lot of them were being made in the 70s but they carried on, minus the young passion. So a lot of protracted scenes between characters, the thought is that just by seeing them together in scenes, we get "life". We don't of course, we get scenes. It's all a bit like Pacino's acting; aimless lumbering with the occasional bug-eyed frisson, but never amounts to more than pacing through motions. There are a few moments that suggest deeper undercurrents - the slumped look on the middle-aged blonde's face as she walks out the restaurant with a defeated soul - how Elen eerily manifests out of a dark hallway - and my favorite moment, the poem his father recites about someone who is living alone in the woods. It's so good, the poem and timing of delivery, it surpasses the whole film.Noir Meter: 1/4

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Gatto Nero
1989/09/20

What a great little "comeback" for Pacino. He had not done a movie in four years! (1985's Revolution)I had seen that "Revolution" and it was bad beyond belief. But here in this one, Al finds redemption.His character doesn't really evoke a hero, because he is a cop who drinks and just goes thru the motions since he is on a 20 years on the force and planning to retire. He is somewhat of a washed-up drunk and you really can't feel sorry for him and no wonder his wife (a deleted Lorraine Bracco) left him for a more stable man(Richard Jenkins) a fellow cop that works at the same station Pacino does. But there in lies the magnificent performance of this fine actor of Pacino as he is. He makes you despise the guy but at the same time root for him to catch the killer.Ellen Barkin just oozes sexiness like never before seen in her performances. She stole the movie for me. She was just that great and real. She and Pacino had great chemistry. To bad they didn't work together more. It would be close to 20 years when they would work together again in the same film.John Goodman as a fellow cop and sidekick of Pacino was just excellent. They both had a real chemistry. Too bad they didn't do way more work together.Michael Rooker as always plays a very good mean, racist and not to friendly guy. They cast him because of his performance in "Henry:the Portrait of a Serial Killer" William Hickey had a great cameo as Al's dad. He has a great line in which he recites a poem his wife, Al's mom, wrote for him. Al uses that same poem and it attracts the woman on the dating service.John Spencer had but a small role and all he did was basically smile at Al's requests and small talk. Christine Estabrook had a nice small role as a innocent girl looking for love on the dating site and being used in more ways than one. Still looking beautiful at her age and at the time, Patricia Barry had a also a small but sad part as a older woman still looking for love. Luis Antonio Ramos, Samuel L. Jackson and Damien Leake all had bit small parts and were memorable in a scene where they are being busted at a sting operation. Leake was spared because Pacino let him go when Leake brought his little son and Pacino didn't have in his heart to bust him at the moment but will later. Tom Wagner has a nice little bit as ,once again, a bartender. And Angel Ramirez has a uncredited bit part but it wasted in the scene.All in all a nice little sexy thriller but very predictable film. But still worth watching for the nice cast involved.

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videorama-759-859391
1989/09/21

Sea Of Love marks Al's big return to the screen, in probably not the best pic, after that dud, Revolution. He plays a cop who's working a serial killer case where supposedly a female killer out there is killing guys, who have answered to these lonely hearts ads. Each victim is found, bare naked on their stomach, with the song Sea Of Love, playing on an L P, nearby. He falls in love with a suspect, Ellen Barkin, who's never looked hotter. By having her as a living on the edge, dangerous, and private character, who like she says "Does things on impulse", we are frequently suppose to believe it's her. May'be it really is. While Sea Of Love manages to be very entertaining, with Al in an interesting comeback of character I like, there are much better thrillers out there, where as a thriller this wasn't special, but the fun of the movie is seeing if Pacino is walking into his own coffin. To make it us throw more suspicion on Barkin', two many coincidences and actions are thrown in, a stray gun, and throwing Pacino up against a wall, for starters, etc. The movie though is an old and one of those entertaining watches, and Barkin's character, if not believable the character, itself, is one of a kind.

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callanvass
1989/09/22

I wouldn't rank this among Pacino's best, nor will I remember it for years to come, like I would other Pacino movies, but for a sexy thriller it does the job. This movie does a good job at keeping you out of the loop, when it comes to the culprit. You're never fully sure what is behind Ellen Barkin's mysterious character, but you can't help but keep watching. Al Pacino plays somewhat of an alcoholic who becomes more and more infatuated with Ellen Barkin as the movie goes along. Let's face it. Pacino can play cards for an hour, and he'll grab your attention. Thankfully, he doesn't phone it in here, and goes full in. I especially liked the scene where he is undercover, interviewing woman at a restaurant to try and find the killer. He was fantastic here, but that shouldn't be any surprise. His chemistry with Barkin was pretty good as well. I touched on Ellen Barkin briefly at the beginning of the review, but I can't understate her great performance, or her enormous sex appeal. Some of her steamy scenes with Al Pacino had me in awe. It was pretty hot stuff. John Goodman is quite good as Pacino's friend, whilst Michael Rooker makes a memorable appearance at the end. I did think the ending was a bit subdued, and it does tend to drag at places in the middle, but overall, I dug it. I recommend it. P.S. Keep on the lookout for Samuel L. Jackson!7/10

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