Sea of Love

1989 "Deception is dangerous. Desire is deadly."
6.8| 1h53m| R| en| More Info
Released: 15 September 1989 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

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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Reviews

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Mr-Fusion "Sea of Love" has its strengths, but (and this is almost painful to say) thriller isn't its one of them. It starts out strongly enough, but the relationship between Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin is more frustrating than exciting. Obviously, the reason to see this movie is Barkin, who just smolders . That, and the camaraderie that Pacino shares with John Goodman. I liked that partnership, as well as these characters. And I can't even complain about the ending, but the road thereto isn't very smooth.6/10
gridoon2018 "Sea Of Love" essentially has the same basic plot as the later "Basic Instinct", but this version is less flashy and more character-driven. The director, Harold Becker, doesn't get much suspense going until the violent finale, but he does capture a vivid urban atmosphere, and Richard Price's script is funny, profane, insightful, almost humane in a sense. Al Pacino gives one of his best, most underrated performances, Ellen Barkin gets across the dual nature of her character (tough/vulnerable), and John Goodman is endearing as Pacino's new partner (and friend). Even the minor characters are living, breathing human beings. **1/2 out of 4.
insomniac_rod I chased down this movie for a while and it did not disappoint me. I truly enjoyed it because it brought Al "The King" Pacino back into business and mainly because it is a damn good Cop-Thriller flick. More in the likes of "Tightrope" (1984), we have the basic plot of a serial-killer on the loose being chased by a Detective who might get in the middle of the killer's motives when he starts an intense romance with a femme fatale. The events are interesting and the suspense although it is not high, it delivers, and it is aided by splendid humor contributed by the on-screen duo conformed by Pacino and John Goodman; you know, the typical cop buddies. I really liked the plot and the whole serial killer situation, but what really got into me was the fascinating sexual magnetism between Pacino and Ellen Barkin, who might not be "very pretty" for Hollywood's standards, but she is very attractive and unlikely sexy. The soundtrack is equally good with a highlight by Tom Waits. Check this underrated Thriller gem and enjoy Pacino at his best.
romanorum1 New York City police set up a fake "Meet the Yankees" breakfast with invitations to entrap hard-to-catch criminals. Frank Keller (Al Pacino) rises to the stage and tells the bad news that instead of the Yankees showing up, there will be plenty of cops and arrests. Apprehended is Samuel L. Jackson, one of the bad guys. We do not see him any more as this is early in his career. So begins "Sea of Love."Three men are individually shot to death after being forced to lay face down solo in bed butt-naked while listening to the 1959 oldie "Sea of Love." As the clues include lipstick-smeared cigarettes and classified newspaper ads for companionship, police suspicions fall onto a female character. The police have noted that all three of the deceased men have answered the only three rhythmic newspaper dating ads. Middle-aged, depressed, and hard-drinking detective Frank Keller, a veteran NYC cop of twenty years, is divorced and lonely. His ex-wife has left him for a fellow policeman. Keller teams up with Detective Sherman (John Goodman) from Queens to track down the serial killer. The colleagues convince their superior (John Spencer), a lieutenant, of their plan to go undercover and place a lonely-hearts want ad that rhymes in the local newspaper. The arrangement is to meet the women in a busy restaurant and take finger prints from their drinking glasses. They take turns posing as waiters. Over time, Keller falls hard for tight-skirted suspect Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin) and they develop a serious relationship against Frank's better sense of judgment. Frank is relieved when he later discovers that Helen has no prior record. But the relationship turns tempestuous after Keller admits that he is a cop.One night at Helen's apartment Frank spots newspaper clippings on the refrigerator with the personal ads of the three dead men circled. Now Frank feels that Helen may be the murderess after all. During the next tryst at Frank's apartment, Helen plays her 45-record "Sea of Love." Frank of course freaks out (hilariously), and after a confrontation with Helen she storms out. At the denouement a different character enters the scenario, one whom we met very briefly early on. So the ending does come as a surprise albeit there were a couple of isolated clues along the way. "Sea of Love" features enchanting character development, atmosphere, and story-line, although New York City locations are not used to good advantage. The morals of the movie are dubious at best. Nevertheless Al Pacino is almost always great, and one wonders how he had never won an Academy Award for Best Actor until 1993 (for 1992's "Scent of a Woman"). His performances in such films as "The Godfather" (1972), "Serpico" (1973), and "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975) were nothing short of dazzling. In "Sea of Love" John Goodman and Ellen Barkin act well too. Pacino's chemistry with Barkin is fantastic, and askance-looking Barkin simply exudes raw sexuality that lights up the silver screen in probably her best role. Did she really need to comb the personals? Hey, we're talking Hollywood, so what did you expect?