Based on real-life events, City By The Sea is a police thriller about a detective who discovers that his estranged drug-addict son is the prime suspect in a murder investigation, and much of the attention focuses on the father/son relationship.

The film is set in Long Beach, known as 'the City by the Sea', a run-down once-thriving community near Manhattan, that serves as an ideal backdrop for the story of the scarred and sorry lives that are depicted in the film.

Robert De Niro, playing Vincent LaMarca, gives the kind of performance that we have come to expect from him, as a detective trying to prove the innocence of his son, who is being accused of murdering a drug dealer, and De Niro's partner (George Dzundza). Along the way, we learn of his past, and the reasons why he has not seen his son in years. We also see De Niro battle with the conflict of doing his job and being a father, and see how this affects both his professional and personal life.

James Franco (Spider Man) plays Vincent's son Joey, a drug-addict who is trying to go straight, we later learn, to ensure that his own child grows up right. He is a troubled soul and is very much in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The supporting players are all very good too. Frances McDormand plays Vincent's straight-shooting girlfriend Michelle, and plays off De Niro superbly. Eliza Dhusku plays Gina, Joey's girlfriend and mother to his son, and is good as the single mother trying to put her child first. William Forsythe is nasty as the villainous Spyder, and would surely have had a little more screen time if the film were not based on a real-life investigation.

Although very much a play-by-numbers thriller, the film is salvaged by De Niro's performance as Vincent, and the soul-searching that he has to do as a policeman, father, and boyfriend.

In the current cinema schedule City By The Sea may be over-looked by the fair share of the public. If you consider that films such as the latest Harry Potter and James Bond offerings, LOTR: The Two Towers and Gangs Of New York are all pulling in the punters, and with the likes of Chicago, 8 Mile and Catch Me If You Can on the horizon, it is possible that you could find yourself at the cinema having to decide what else to see when the "Sold Out" sign goes up. If that is the case, then you may wish to consider giving Mr De Niro's latest offering a look.