James Franco is equally convincing as Robert DeNiro's junkie son. Some parts of the movie are so morbid that it is discouraging, but the overall excellence of City By the Sea is well worth it. At first the characters seem a little one-dimensional, but as the plot progresses all that changes. This is a very well done movie with great acting, directing and cinematography. Powerful and moving.****

real life especially with performances like this and Pineapple Express no one does it better but that's what you call great acting .He basically, went toe to toe with Robert De Niro who hand picked him after seeing James Franco as James Dean and came out his equal. Maybe just maybe, Robert De Niro might have passed his succession to James Franco. No wonder, his getting Oscars nominations now etc and only matter of time before he wins a few.I actually, forgot that I watched this movie when it originally came out. I went to the supermarket recently and purchased a copy as it was very cheap and found a a true gem that I had forgotten. I felt, I had to write a review because I couldn't believe the rating and some of the comments.I'm not going to breakdown what happens in the story there's enough evidence of that already but wow. If you want amazing acting by all and true essence of what a great drama should be, you might have seen similar formats in the past but was it ever acted as well as this then I suggest you rent or buy it.I'm so glad, I have this as part of my DVD collection. Not every movie has to have plenty of car chasing, be in 3D, naked ladies etc.Sometimes, you just need a strong cast to bring a good story home and for me they brought it home plenty. Can't believe this movie didn't get any Oscar nominations. I can be critical like the next person, thinking not another cop drama but seriously can't stress this enough open your mind to solid acting by all cast members and you will be truly surprised.

every other aspect was great, and there were many parts of the movie i didn't see coming. So everyone go out and see it. You won't regret it.

beach front local, that is now a ghost town. Very underrated by the IMDb voters.

this, and then goes out to be some cigarettes, and never returns. It is one of those movies that you have to watch it and judge it yourself. I personally believe that this movie wins a 9/10.

interesting and recommended as a decent crime film. Actually, it's much more of a drama than an action-crime film....but I liked it. It's an interesting character study, as well.

tries to make up for the damage of the lost years and save his son from a series of rapidly expanding catastrophes.'City By the Sea' borrows from the noir tradition with a gritty locale, seedy characters and two male leads who have unlocked a series of events that are bigger than they are. DeNiro and Franco are both excellent here. Franco is tremendous for the entire film as a junkie who is trying perhaps not very hard to escape from his current life for one mixed of fantasy and memory. His final scenes with De Niro are powerful.The DeNiro performance? I think that he played it perfectly. His character in the film tends to be very restrained and controlled. He analyzes and then makes his move. Part of this has to do with the background of the character. He hides his past because he's trying to protect his own vulnerabilities. By the time we reach the climactic scene towards the end of the film with his son, the restraint and control are gone. He is trying to save his son and the impassioned speech he gives is some of the best work I've seen him do. 'City By the Sea' is more of a redemptive drama than a crime drama and I think that the way the film was packaged and marketed may have confused that. In the climactic scene with Franco, you see the culmination of a great performance by a great actor. I was more impressed by the emotion and power of that scene than I was by anything else I've watched in quite a while.'City By the Sea' is slow, but worth the journey. Very good acting all around and you might very well be a James Franco fan after seeing this if you weren't before.