Disc Details
Special Features:	Feature-length commentary by writer Ken Hixon and Producer Matthew Baer "Six Words About Filmmaking with Michael Caton-Jones Theatrical Trailer Cast/Director/Writer highlights
Video Format:	Widescreen (1.85:1) [SS-DL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 5.1) French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles:	English, Francais, Espanol
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	1-Disc Snap Case

De Niro plays Jersey detective Vincent LaMarca, who’s seen his childhood home of Long Beach, Long Island decay into a rotting, drug-infested wasteland. His childhood marred by a father whose poor decisions eventually led him to the execution chamber, he’s dealt another blow when his estranged son Joey (Spider-Man’s James Franco) becomes the prime suspect in the killing of LaMarca’s own partner. Left out of the loop is his downstairs-girlfriend (Frances McDormand), who’s forced to watch Vincent bury his complicated emotions within himself. Eventually, events lead Vincent to put his career on the line to discover the truth about his son’s involvement in the case.

Based on true events, structural problems prevent “City By the Sea” from ever becoming fully engaging, as the film’s inevitable conclusion continues to linger in the background. Director Michael Caton-Jones unfortunately lays out the film too fast, too soon, and the rest of the film often feels like window dressing. De Niro and McDormand are a fascinating pair (despite McDormand’s poorly-written role), and their moments together give an unusual depth of emotion to a relatively superficial film. William Forsythe, sporting an attractive super-mullet, is also worth a gander. De Niro, however, steals every scene, once again showing why he’s one of the best in the business.

Picture Quality: 7/10
The "Letterbox" widescreen transfer for "City By The Sea" looks a little dark on the tv screen. The night sequences seem a little too desaturated. However, image quality is crisp and sharp, and there is little artifacting in the transfer.

Sound Quality: 9/10
The excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track (French 5.1 is also included) exhibits excellent dynamic range, solid use of surround channels and nice crisp dialogue. No complaints whatsoever.

Menu: 8/10
Nice, clean menu system. Easy to navigate.
No Easter Eggs found during review.

Extra Features: 7/10
Though director Michael Caton-Jones strangely isn't included in an audio commentary track, writer Ken Hixon and producer Matthew Baer team up for a feature-length commentary. It's an interesting combination that leads to some interesting discussions about the process the film went through. Caton-Jones shows up in the featurette "Six Words About Filmmaking with Michael Caton-Jones," a puzzling featurette because of what Caton-Jones hints to in the production of "City by the Sea." On several occasions, he talks about how an editor can "save a bad film," making one wonder what he truly thought of the production of "City by the Sea." Theatrical trailer and cast & crew highlights are also included in the disc.

The Final Word:
An average film elevated by very good performances from Robert De Niro as a Jersey cop and Frances McDormand as his sometimes-girlfriend, "City by the Sea" is given inherent poignancy by the fact that the film is based on true events. There are structural problems in director Caton-Jones's approach, but the dynamic between acting heavyweights De Niro and McDormand lead to some fascinating scenes that are certainly worth a gander. The disc is a little on the light side, with Caton-Jones noteably absent from the audio commentary track. However, writer Ken Hixon and producer Matthew Baer are an interesting pair in the film's lone feature commentary. A decent throwback cop-drama, and equally decent disc.

Stephen Wong