Sea of Love (1998, DVD)

Do you remember when we met
That's the day I knew you were my pet
I want to tell you how much I love you

Countless films rely on the premise of nice girl falls in love with a boy called trouble . Director Harold Becker, in his 1989 release, Sea Of Love, flips this all around. In a formula that was later used in such films as Basic Instinct, Sea of Love sees good cop fall in love with bad girl possibly really bad girl . It s a concept that works to perfection in Sea Of Love, thanks to a tight, yet simple, storyline, and some outstanding acting. It also succeeds due to our base understanding of the emotions involved. After all, who amongst us hasn t been madly infatuated at some point in our lives with someone that was just soooo bad but made us feel just soooo good?

Good cop meets bad girl the story

Al Pacino plays a familiar role as a homicide detective, who s married to his job. Frank Keller s latest case involves a bloke that s been gruesomely murdered in his own bed, apparently by a woman. It s a murder scenario that s a little out of the ordinary, and Frank appears refreshed embarking on the case.

During his investigation, Frank bumps into another detective (played by John Goodman) who s got a similar case on his hands. They swap notes and it s eventually revealed that both of their victims had placed advertisements in a certain singles magazine (Remember, it s 1989, and the internet wasn t available as the matchmaking nirvana that it is today!).

Frank and his new mate, who are running out of conventional leads in their respective cases, decide on a different approach. They re going to place their own ad in the singles rag and check out the responding females. Perhaps they ll get lucky and find the killer.

The ad is placed, and the set-up goes as follows. Frank s to be the singleton and take his new dates to a certain restaurant. The other detective (Sherman s his name) will pretend to be a waiter and collect wine glasses from the ladies in question for later fingerprinting. It s a simple, but potentially effective plan, and the boys get started with it.

We see Frank at the little restaurant table with a series of different desperate and dateless women. Wine glasses are collected and Frank goes through the motions of playing a convincing desperate and dateless man. Then Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin) appears as the next to be wined and fingerprinted, and Frank s world turns upside down.

Sidenote: I have a license to callously use the term desperate and dateless because I happen to be desperate and dateless myself at the moment. When you re in the club, you get to use the facilities.

Helen has bad seductive wuzzle written all over her, and the world turning upside down comes in the form of a striking chemistry between Frank and herself. They get on like a house on fire. The conversation is alluring, and the sexual energy crackles in the air between them. Helen flirts innocuously like the grand mistress of flirtation that she is, and Frank does his best to keep pace. He finds that he can t help himself. The evening at the restaurant ends and Frank commits an act of unprofessionalism by deciding to see Helen again. It seems that she s the cheese, and he s the macaroni.

The murder case develops alongside the intensity of the feelings that Frank develops for Helen. Things between them are hot and delightfully sweaty, and the good cop finds himself intoxicated with his new wuzzle, even as it becomes more and more likely that Helen may in fact be the murderer of single lonely men.

How will it end? Oh, I m not giving this one away! You re going to have to watch it and see for yourself, boys and girls! Let me just say that it sizzles until the very end.

Like honey to a bee the acting

Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin are the twin suns around which Sea Of Love revolves. In many ways, they re the catalyst for the success of this film.

Al Pacino is well Al Pacino. He s as talented as they come in the acting profession. His longevity speaks as testimony. From his earlier days in Serpico and the Godfather through to his later offerings such as The Devil s Advocate, Pacino has maintained the ability to hold the viewer s interest and then some. As a dedicated, yet lonely, cop in Sea Of Love he s his usual magical self. The fact that he s aging and isn t conventionally handsome adds to the convincing nature of Frank s feelings for Helen. Frank s not getting any younger and how often do the Helens of the world show an interest in a average looking bloke that earns just an average wage? Pacino s Frank knows this and acts accordingly. Pacino s a wizard.

Ellen Barkin, where are you now? Ellen as Helen is something to behold. She adds to her naturally attractive self by projecting an animalistic appeal. On the screen in Sea Of Love she issues the challenge Take me, if you re man enough with just a look or a tilt of her head. The casting people should be credited with genius status for the choice of Ellen Barkin as the sultry, and quite possibly dangerous, Helen Cruger.

The matchmakers those behind the scenes that make it work

Along with the acting ensemble, a lot of credit for Sea Of Love s success as a mesmerizing film needs to go to the filmmakers. Director Harold Becker cleverly ensures that the film dances along the fine line between the police plot and the relationship between Frank and Helen. No doubt that this was facilitated by the work of the scriptwriter, Richard Price.

Sea Of Love deals with inner emotions, and I m sure that the actors, and filmmakers knew that it would never take the Oscars by storm, because of its lack of mass appeal. Sea Of Love has no special effects, no melodramatics, and therefore was never going to be the industry s flag to wave for the year 1989. However, I m thankful that all involved still put in a 100% effort.

Joe s final word

Sea Of Love got me. It looks like just another murder thriller with an emotional twist, and perhaps it is. However, Sea Of Love gets the formula right, and Al and Ellen come to life as the two lovers. If thrillers with romance involved (Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Perfect Murder) get you going, then you re going to fall into the Sea Of Love.

It goes without saying that this film is not for the kids. Besides, they just wouldn t enjoy the adult concepts involved.

Five fat starfish for Sea Of Love!

Come with me, my love
To the sea, the sea of love
I want to tell you how much I love you

Cheers for reading.

~Joe