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Sea of Love

Play trailer Poster for Sea of Love R 1989 1h 52m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 33 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Troubled New York City detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) investigates a serial killer who finds victims using personal ads in a magazine and leaves the song "Sea of Love" playing at his crime scenes. With the help of his partner, Sherman Touhey (John Goodman), Frank concocts a plan to find the killer using his own personal ads. But when Frank falls for one of his chief suspects, Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), he struggles to reconcile his personal life and his professional duty.
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Sea of Love

Sea of Love

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Critics Consensus

Moody and steadily alluring, Sea of Love benefits immeasurably from the window-fogging chemistry between Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino.

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Critics Reviews

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Derek Adams Time Out 06/24/2006
Efficient enough as a thriller, but what makes this mandatory viewing is the return of Pacino. Go to Full Review
Vincent Canby New York Times 05/20/2003
2/5
A lugubrious imitation of a second-rate television movie, over-produced and over-cast. Go to Full Review
Joe Brown Washington Post 01/01/2000
Price and director Harold Becker build in enough jumps and scares and good red herrings to be satisfying ... Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Feb 18
3/4
Sea of Love finds Pacino in more reliable shape, sparingly employing his over-the-top tendencies only when it makes sense for his character. Go to Full Review
Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) 05/09/2023
Sea of Love barely dips below the surface of the psycho-killer genre and it barely has time for the emotional complexity of its secondary characters. Yet Sea of Love is genuinely entertaining. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia 08/09/2022
6/10
A somewhat conventional police thriller, from which I cannot extract any significant intrigue beyond the palpable chemistry between Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Daniel S Dec 1 Sea of Plot Holes Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin both deliver solid performances, but the real scene-stealer is John Goodman as the desperate-to-make-it-big cop from Queens. Every time he shows up, the energy spikes, and he adds a gritty, almost darkly funny edge that outshines everyone else on screen. That said, the movie seriously trips over its own plot. There are holes everywhere, and the story refuses to fill them in. The whole "Sea of Love" song situation makes zero sense. Why does the killer keep leaving it behind instead of taking it? Why don’t the cops just check record stores to see who’s been buying the same old vinyl every week? It feels like the film sets up obvious solutions, then completely ignores them. Even the police work itself starts to feel questionable. The "lonely hearts" scheme keeps going even after the murders stop. The killer’s timing is all over the place. He goes after men immediately, but with Pacino’s character, he drags it out forever for no clear reason. And Pacino’s character is supposed to be a cop, yet somehow his apartment is spotless, even though he’s a sloppy drunk every night and there isn’t a single sign that he’s in law enforcement. No photos, no gear, nothing. It just doesn’t add up. The relationship between Pacino and Barkin also feels rushed and unrealistic. He doesn’t even know her kid’s name, yet he’s already talking about her moving in. After she learns how hard he drinks and how messy his life is, she still sticks around, which is hard to buy. Then the movie tops it all off by having a totally random stranger show up at a family wedding at the last minute, casually talking police business. That moment alone feels wild in the worst way. The movie isn’t a complete disaster. There are genuinely good moments and strong acting scattered throughout. But the constant "Wait…why?" moments stack up so fast that it’s almost impossible to ignore them. By the end, you’re left not with answers, but with a long list of questions that the film never bothers to explain. In short, it has style, tension, and a standout performance, but it fumbles hard on logic and consistency. Entertaining at times, frustrating way too often. See more Gina R @GinaG Jun 19 Sea of Love barely dips below the surface of the psycho-killer genre and it barely has time for the emotional complexity of its secondary characters. Yet Sea of Love is genuinely entertaining. See more Jonathan O Mar 31 Al Pacino performance is outstanding, John Goodman is really terrific and Ellen Barkin performance really sparks with fire and i could compare Play Misty For Me and Sea of Love a music from a song thriller that audiences may scare by listening to it. And Sea of Love has their own twist on the climax. See more Fabrícia F @Fabricia Feb 11 Instigante, sensual e criativo. Uma série de crimes misteriosos põem à prova um detetive obstinado (Al Pacino) que luta para não ceder ao charme de uma loira misteriosa e vítima. See more Jelisije J Feb 1 An enjoyable romantic film.....the killer in this movie is not important compared to a divorced depressed cop finding love again. See more Arya S @AnyaS Jan 25 Perfect Pacino in his prime! This may not be the most artistic of his films, but it's a perfectly paced, enjoyable mystery/romance/thriller, with hot chemistry between a gorgeous Barkin and Pacino. Also great performances from John Goodman as Pacino's partner, and Richard Jenkins and the beleaguered husband of Pacino's ex. A fun feast for Pacino fans See more Read all reviews
Sea of Love

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Movie Info

Synopsis Troubled New York City detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) investigates a serial killer who finds victims using personal ads in a magazine and leaves the song "Sea of Love" playing at his crime scenes. With the help of his partner, Sherman Touhey (John Goodman), Frank concocts a plan to find the killer using his own personal ads. But when Frank falls for one of his chief suspects, Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), he struggles to reconcile his personal life and his professional duty.
Director
Harold Becker
Producer
Martin Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Screenwriter
Richard Price
Production Co
Universal Pictures, Bregman/Baer Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 18, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$56.6M
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Surround
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