Review: Sea of Love

Al Pacino and John Goodman are police detectives investigating a series of kinky murders of men with a linking theme of a singles ad placed by the victims. Pacino decides to pose as a single man on the lookout for love, placing an ad in the paper and hoping to nab the killer. Foolishly, Pacino ends up falling for one of the women who responds to his ad (Ellen Barkin). Could she be the killer? Pacino starts to suspect so. Meanwhile, Pacino still hasn’t quite gotten over the fact that his ex-wife left him for a colleague (Richard Jenkins). John Spencer plays the police lieutenant, William Hickey plays Pacino’s elderly father, and Michael Rooker and Samuel L. Jackson have cameos.

***** SPOILER-HEAVY REVIEW ***** From here on out, I will be discussing the film’s central mystery, and giving some very strong hints, most likely. Best save the review for after you’ve seen it. You’ve been duly warned.

Sometimes all it takes to stop a film from being truly great instead of merely a very good one, is just one thing. In the case of this otherwise very enjoyable 1989 crime-thriller-romance from director Harold Becker (“The Onion Field”, “Taps”), it’s an ultimately transparent whodunit. An all-too obvious bit of casting (and a director who should’ve realised it) is the issue here, rather than anything in the way of performance from the actor in question or the screenplay by Richard Price (John Singleton’s “Shaft”, as well as “Freedomland” and “Child 44”). It’s a testament to how good the rest of the film is that this is a rare occasion where transparency doesn’t stop the film from still being one of the best of its chosen sub-genre. Hell, it’s still one of my favourite Al Pacino movies.

Look out for a young-ish and skinny Samuel L. Jackson in the very funny first scene, which also serves as a great introduction for Al Pacino’s character. It’s one of Pacino’s better and quieter performances. I’m not a Pacino fan, but playing a rumpled, pugnacious prick of a detective, he’s quite entertaining. Even though she doesn’t turn up until quite a way into the film, Ellen Barkin steals the entire film. You’d think only introducing her after about an hour would give Barkin an insufficient amount of time to make a lasting impression. Not so, once she turns up she steals the remainder of the film. She won’t be everyone’s idea of a looker, but she’ll work in the role just fine for most and more importantly – she gives a terrific performance in what is her signature – and breakout – role (Amazing given Barkin herself doesn’t think she’s that great in it, and had issues with the director on one infamous sexy scene). As much as I think the mystery lacks…um, mystery, Barkin has a believable duality to her. You can see her easily being innocent or guilty. The relationship between her character and Pacino’s is fascinating; Tense, edgy, kinky, romantic, and a little sad, too.

The supporting cast is excellent, right down to small parts played by Richard Jenkins, Barbara Baxley, and the late John Spencer and William Hickey. However, of the supporting cast it’s probably John Goodman who you’ll most remember. Playing a detective who teams up with Pacino to track down the killer, he looks to be having a lot of fun in the part, which could’ve been pretty stock in another actor’s hands. Goodman livens it up and gets all of the film’s best lines. The scene where he does a wedding dance to a terrible cover of Queen’s funk classic ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ is particularly special. Also choice are the dating scenes where he’s playing waiter whilst Pacino grills (or is grilled by) a series of women. Some of the scenes are funny, some are rather sad (Baxley’s cameo).

Steamy in a kinky, dangerous way, this is a really good serial killer thriller with a sexy romantic side. Terrific performances, especially by a never-better Ellen Barkin. Shame it’s all so transparent, though. It stops the film from being even better, it could’ve been a classic instead of just being a classic ‘of its type’. That’s still nothing to sneeze at, however and it’s certainly a better film than the later “Basic Instinct”. Sexy-sax score by Trevor Jones (“Excalibur”) is another highlight.

Rating: B+