SEA OF LOVE (1989) - Movie Review

Director: Harold Becker
Starring: Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman, Richard Jenkins, Michael Rooker
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Writer: Richard Price
Runtime: 113 min
Rated: R
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Veteran New York City police detective Frank Keller (Pacino) is a workaholic cop living on the edge. Joining forces with detective Sherman Touhey (John Goodman) to track down a bizarre serial killer, he encounters a beautiful suspect (Ellen Barkin). Convinced of her innocence, Keller enters into a passionate affair, despite hard evidence linking her to the murders.

Review:

Al Pacino's first film after a four-year hiatus following the disaster that was "Revolution", the noir thriller "Sea of Love" was a solid comeback for the actor, garnering a decent critical response and grossing $110 million worldwide on a budget of just $19 million. Screenwriter Richard Price took inspiration from his own 1978 novel "Ladies' Man", but the film only loosely shares the book's main idea, changing everything from characters to plot, and reworking it into a serial killer thriller.

"Sea of Love" is at heart a noir thriller, complete with the burned-out alcoholic cop trope, which Pacino plays convincingly, but it also has the vibe of a light erotic thriller. This is before "Basic Instinct" was a thing, of course. Had this been made after 1992, it probably would have pushed harder into the R-rating. Hence why I called it "light". There's really just one intense sex scene, and a few other hot moments here and there. That being said, Pacino and Ellen Barkin have an intense chemistry together, lighting the screen on fire whenever they share a scene together.

Which brings me to the performances, which are really the highlights of the movie. Pacino is as hot-blooded as ever, playing detective Frank Keller with jaded gusto. Barkin cuts through the screen with her piercing gaze, seducing both Frank and the viewer and keeping everyone guessing. John Goodman is a lot of fun as Keller's fellow detective Sherman Touhey, and their interactions on the job are highly entertaining. The supporting cast also includes the always great Richard Jenkins, Michael Rooker, and William Hickey as Keller's father. There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it apperance by Samuel L. Jackson.

As a thriller the movie is just okay. The promising premise fades into the background a little too often and it feels like the movie is slightly too long. There are also some minor issues regarding character motivations, including why Barkin's beautiful, intelligent and independent Helen would use newspaper personal ads to hook up. Also, the ending arrives suddenly, with a twist that comes out of nowhere, without any proper setup. What does help is that the dialogue is pretty clever and helps smooth over some of the story's rougher edges.

It's a flawed but highly entertaining thriller. It's elevated by a great cast, it has some decent thrills, some well-placed humor and a whiff of romance. In my book, it's worth checking out.

SCORE: 7/10