Soggy script sinks DeNiro's latest flick

Vincent LaMarca (Robert DeNiro) is a man who's lived a hard life. Struggling to overcome his past -- which includes a father executed in Sing-Sing, his own stint with domestic abuse and the abandonment of his only son -- LaMarca became a world-weary Manhattan detective.\nWhen a zealously tattooed pusher washes up on the rocks, foul play leads to decrepit Long Island, and LaMarca's only son, a known junkie, is suspect. Based on Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Michael McAlary's 1997 article, this is the foundation behind the movie "City by the Sea." Aside from its already-fascinating story, the movie's also got a few golden names attached to it, like DeNiro and Frances McDormand.\nSo how could a movie with this much potential play like a pitiful, made-for-TV piece of schlock? It's because the screenplay for this tanker is flat-lining like Jimmy Hoffa. Whatever Pulitzer-prize-winning punches McAlary managed to pull in his article, Ken Hixon's screenplay adaptation is KO'd by a pitiful pace and simply bad writing. The first act alone is drawn out to dozing proportions, and by the time things get interesting, the majority of the audience will be drooling in its popcorn.\nDirector Michael Caton-Jones hasn't been on the scene since his last failed foray, 1997's "The Jackal." With "City by the Sea," Caton-Jones's direction is predominantly forgettable.\nThe only thing that's going to keep this sunken "City" floating around the box-office for the next couple of weekends are the names DeNiro and McDormand. DeNiro does the best he can with the material he's given, but when he's delivering lines like, "I know you killed my partner, scumbag," it's clear that even this raging bull is stumbling in the ring. McDormand, giving the best performance overall, actually manages to breathe some life into her role as LaMarca's girlfriend, Michelle.\nAt one point, during what had been set up to be a dramatically arresting scene, the audience was left wiping tears from its eyes. This was because we were laughing. Heartily. Don't waste your time or money on this drowning downer until it's on Hoosier Cinema 7. At least then it's free.