"Sea Of Love" is an enthralling murder mystery which contains an entertaining blend of suspense, humour and romance and also some moments of pathos. It's essentially a tale about a search for a serial killer but also it's about a passionate affair involving two people who are both lonely and reluctant to trust each other. Richard Price's screenplay (adapted from his own book "Ladies Man") is sharp and convincing throughout but it's especially strong during the exchanges between the police officers.
Police Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) is assigned to investigate a murder in Manhattan in which a man was shot dead whilst lying face down and naked on his bed. At the crime scene, the song "Sea Of Love" is being played on a nearby turntable and the items of evidence found include a cigarette end with lipstick on it, a set of fingerprints and a newspaper cutting which includes a lonely hearts advert placed by the deceased. The evidence suggests that the killer was probably an embittered woman who'd replied to the victim's ad.
When Keller meets Detective Sherman Touhey (John Goodman) who's investigating a murder which was carried out in identical circumstances in Queens, the two men decide to join forces in their search for what appears to be a serial killer. After a third man is murdered in the same way, the two detectives embark on a scheme to identify the culprit. As all three victims had placed rhyming ads, the detectives place their own rhyming entry in the personal column and then invite the respondents to a date at a local restaurant. There Keller acts as the guy who'd placed the ad and Touhey acts as a waiter who collects the women's wine glasses and places them in evidence bags so that the fingerprints can be checked against those found at the murder scenes.
One of the women who meets Keller is Helen Kruger (Ellen Barkin). She very quickly seems to become uncomfortable with him and leaves without having touched her glass. A chance meeting with her some time later provides Keller with an opportunity to get her fingerprints but things get more complicated and his priorities change when he becomes infatuated with her and they get involved in a very passionate affair.
Al Pacino, in one of his best ever screen performances, is totally believable as the lonely, jaded cop who has completed 20 years in the job and experiences a feeling of dread when the subject of retirement is mentioned as he has nothing in life but his job. His wife left him for one of his colleagues, he drinks too much and he's more then a little bitter. Pacino's deportment exudes all these characteristics in spades and it's quite credible that the despair of someone in his circumstances could lead them into a reckless affair with an attractive murder suspect.
Ellen Barkin is brilliant as the inscrutable Helen who, importantly in the context of the plot, shows all the attributes of a femme fatale. She gives out contradictory signals, can be alternately aggressive and vulnerable and seems to have a low opinion of men although she's obviously powerfully attracted to them.
John Goodman is also great as Keller's good natured, extrovert partner and his sense of fun illuminates a number of scenes.
The deep rooted sense of sadness and loneliness which is a significant feature of the characters played by Pacino and Barkin is also reflected in the melancholic quality of Trevor Jones' superb score, the song "Sea Of Love" and the exceptional shadow laden cinematography by Ronnie Taylor.
Police Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino) is assigned to investigate a murder in Manhattan in which a man was shot dead whilst lying face down and naked on his bed. At the crime scene, the song "Sea Of Love" is being played on a nearby turntable and the items of evidence found include a cigarette end with lipstick on it, a set of fingerprints and a newspaper cutting which includes a lonely hearts advert placed by the deceased. The evidence suggests that the killer was probably an embittered woman who'd replied to the victim's ad.
When Keller meets Detective Sherman Touhey (John Goodman) who's investigating a murder which was carried out in identical circumstances in Queens, the two men decide to join forces in their search for what appears to be a serial killer. After a third man is murdered in the same way, the two detectives embark on a scheme to identify the culprit. As all three victims had placed rhyming ads, the detectives place their own rhyming entry in the personal column and then invite the respondents to a date at a local restaurant. There Keller acts as the guy who'd placed the ad and Touhey acts as a waiter who collects the women's wine glasses and places them in evidence bags so that the fingerprints can be checked against those found at the murder scenes.
One of the women who meets Keller is Helen Kruger (Ellen Barkin). She very quickly seems to become uncomfortable with him and leaves without having touched her glass. A chance meeting with her some time later provides Keller with an opportunity to get her fingerprints but things get more complicated and his priorities change when he becomes infatuated with her and they get involved in a very passionate affair.
Al Pacino, in one of his best ever screen performances, is totally believable as the lonely, jaded cop who has completed 20 years in the job and experiences a feeling of dread when the subject of retirement is mentioned as he has nothing in life but his job. His wife left him for one of his colleagues, he drinks too much and he's more then a little bitter. Pacino's deportment exudes all these characteristics in spades and it's quite credible that the despair of someone in his circumstances could lead them into a reckless affair with an attractive murder suspect.
Ellen Barkin is brilliant as the inscrutable Helen who, importantly in the context of the plot, shows all the attributes of a femme fatale. She gives out contradictory signals, can be alternately aggressive and vulnerable and seems to have a low opinion of men although she's obviously powerfully attracted to them.
John Goodman is also great as Keller's good natured, extrovert partner and his sense of fun illuminates a number of scenes.
The deep rooted sense of sadness and loneliness which is a significant feature of the characters played by Pacino and Barkin is also reflected in the melancholic quality of Trevor Jones' superb score, the song "Sea Of Love" and the exceptional shadow laden cinematography by Ronnie Taylor.