| Dark and Compelling |  |
Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro), a veteran NYC homicide detective, wrestles with his own demons. Though he doesn't expose it to others -- not even his girlfriend Michelle (Frances McDormand) to whom he can't truly commit -- he's saddened that he abandoned his young son after a particularly bitter divorce.
His ex-wife (Patti LuPone) despises him and turned the boy against Vincent so it was pretty difficult to keep a relationship with the child as he grew up.
When a drug dealer's body washes ashore in NYC, Vince and his partner Reg (George Dzundza) follow the evidence to Long Beach, Long Island, where the man was murdered. Being in Long Beach brings back all sorts of memories for Vince as that's where he grew up and got his first start as a cop. Long Beach has deteriorated badly since Vince was there and is now a haven for druggies and crime.
The investigation leads to Vince's son, Joey (James Franco), an addict who lives in the deterioration of Long Beach and who now must be found by the cops. Of course, Vince is taken off the case but media gets wind of the fact that Vince's own father had been executed for the kidnapping and murder of a child on Long Beach when Vince was a child.
Things get even more complicated when Vince's partner is killed while trying to capture Joey.
Can Vince somehow save Joey from suicide-by-cops or redeem something of a relationship with his only child?
De Niro gives the right degree of pensiveness and contemplation to his role as a troubled yet earnest man. McDormand is perfect as the woman who loves him but has never heard the truth about why he is such a complex and private man.
Directed by Michael Caton-Jones.
Rated R for language, drug use and some violence.
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