Sea Of Love

Directed by Harold Becker, Sea Of Love follows grizzled detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) as his investigation into a series of murders is complicated by his new romance with the enigmatic Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin). Filmmaker Becker, working from Richard Price’s screenplay, delivers a slow-moving thriller that’s oftentimes just a little too deliberate for its own good, as Sea Of Love, though littered with overtly positive attributes, is never quite able to wholeheartedly capture and sustain the viewer’s rapt interest – with the arms-length atmosphere alleviated, for the most part, by a smattering of electrifying sequences and the expectedly solid performances. It’s clear, too, that the picture benefits from a mystery that grows more and more intriguing as time progresses, while the surprisingly intense climax ensures that the whole thing ends on a far more engrossing note than one might’ve anticipated – which ultimately does secure Sea Of Love‘s place as a decent piece of work that could (and should) have been so much better.

**1/2 out of ****