Sea of Love (1989)

Director:

Harold Becker

Writer (WGA):

Richard Price (written by)

Release Date:

15 September 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

In search of a killer, he found someone who's either the love of his life... or the end of it.

Plot:

Frank Keller is a New York detective investigating a case of a serial killer who finds the victims through the lonely hearts column in newspapers...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Love | Suspect | Single | Investigation

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Det. Frank Keller
Ellen Barkin	...	Helen Cruger
John Goodman	...	Det. Sherman
Michael Rooker	...	Terry
William Hickey	...	Frank Keller Sr.
Richard Jenkins	...	Gruber
Paul Calderon	...	Serafino
Gene Canfield	...	Struk
Larry Joshua	...	Dargan
John Spencer	...	Lieutenant
Christine Estabrook	...	Gina Gallagher / Lonelyheart
Barbara Baxley	...	Miss Allen
Patricia Barry	...	Older Woman
Mark Phelan	...	Murdered Man
Michael O'Neill	...	Raymond Brown

Runtime:

112 min | USA:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The interiors for the movie were filmed in Toronto instead of New York.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Terry slams Frank against the mirror in Frank's apartment, we hear the sound of breaking glass, yet later in the scene the mirror appears intact.

Quotes:

Frank Keller Sr.: [a poem by Frank's mother written in 1934 while she was in high school] I live alone within myself, like a hut within the woods; I keep my heart high upon the shelf, barren of other goods; I need another's arms to reach for it, and place it where it belongs. I need another's touch and smile, to fill my hut with songs.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Heat (1995)

Soundtrack:

SEA OF LOVE

Great, funny cop thriller. Goodman-Pacino pairing is gold!

Men who've answered personal ads in the lonely hearts column featuring poetry are being found naked, face down on their beds. There are cigarette butts with lipstick on them in their ashtrays. Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino), along with his sidekick Sherman (John Goodman), decide to enter their own ad in the lonely hearts column, and try to match the killer's fingerprints.

A great premise that definitely justifies making yet another police procedural, this Al Pacino vehicle won this reviewer over, which is hard to do these days with cop thrillers - once you see enough they all start to look the same.

But here we've got a great script, with some terrific wisecracking cop lines, great actors, especially Pacino, Goodman and sexy Ellen Barkin - which make for a very enjoyable ride. Sure the score is a little 80's, and Ellen Barkin may look back and regret that hair-do, but otherwise this is a very successful piece of film.

This is largely due to the terrific screen presence of Al Pacino - he's such a firecracker! And the hugely enjoyable chemistry between partners Pacino and John Goodman. They play off each other so well. The dating scenes are particularly fun - personal highlights for me. And, of course, Ellen Barkin exudes sensuality. Its incredible.

The title may sound pulpy and cheap - but its for good cause. We find out in the first few minutes that its the name of the song the killer was playing when the first murder of the film occured. Its also ironic - the crime-ridden world of this film is anything but a sea of love.

7/10. Must-see for Pacino fans and fans of cop thrillers. For everyone else, not essential, but great saturday night fair.