Sea of Love (1989)

December 21, 2024 6:33 PM

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.
posted by bunderful (4 comments total)

Ebert review
posted by bunderful at 7:14 PM on December 21, 2024 [1 favorite]

So much of this has aged very poorly. But there are some neat things, like Pacino and Goodman singing “Sea of Love.”
posted by bunderful at 10:52 AM on December 22, 2024

I remember this movie for one particular scene that stuck with me; it's quietly devastating.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:42 PM on December 22, 2024 [1 favorite]

A favorite of mine, the chemistry between Frank and Helen sizzles. I especially like the opening scene, it feels very New Yawk/of its time, Pacino is believable and not outsized for the role, as he would become later on. I don't mind the plot, I'm not watching this to solve crimes, looking back it's all too possible for this to be the answer. There is a scene were Pacino is proudly showing off his fancy new shoes that she's given him, you can see he'd otherwise be wearing the same old shoes he's always worn and living the way he's always lived. It's not an exaggeratedly noir-ish film, it's of its time, but there are lots of little very human moments, little touches.
posted by winesong at 4:34 PM on December 27, 2024 [1 favorite]