New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (Robert De Niro) who had a difficult infancy , grew up to become a good police officer . He has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a police officer intensely committed to his work . But Vincent Lamarca has a dark secret , his father was executed for a 1950s kidnapping of a child , and it nowadays comes to publicize as shocking news . Then in his latest case , the stakes are higher for Vincent , the suspect he's investigating results to be his own son (James Franco) . He and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced his wife (Patti LuPone) and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach , Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD . He lives his life in solitude , keeping his girlfriend (wasted Frances McDormand) at arm's length and the closest relationship he maintains is with his colleague, Reg Duffy (George Dzundza) . As Vincent must address his dark family history . When you're searching for a killer... the last suspect you want to see is your son !.
Another De Niro cop flick about an upright police officer whose life goes awry , only to see his own son become a murder , this case leads veteran detective Vincent LaLarca back his to his house town , a rundown Long Island resort , and other troubles with ex-wife and his girlfriend add a tragic dimension to the manhunt of his wayward offspring . Although based on a true story the picture takes some drastic liberties with the facts . The details of Joey's crime have been radically softened , while the real Vincent was retired from the force and the police procedural , performing little part in the chase. This air of phoniness permeates all aspects of the production . Main and support cast are pretty good . James Franco is frankly well , he looks like the perfect junkie , playing the estranged son who emerges as chief suspect . With pretty boy Franco flashing his painfully gaunt cheekbones , the movie veers to heroin chic than to the genuinely harrowing of Aranofsky's Requiem for a Dream. And Frances McDormand as De Niro's on-off sweetheart is really wasted , adding other nice secondaries giving competent performances , such as : Eliza Dushku , William Forsythe , Patti Lupone , Anson Mount , John Doman , Brian Tarantina , Nestor Serrano and even Drena De Niro , Robert De Niro's daughter .
Special mention for the enjoyable and emotive musical score by John Murphy . More ambience is provided by the evocative , visually stunning cinematography by cameraman Karl Walter Lindenlaub with on-location shooting in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ocean Grove , New Jersey, New York City, New York, Long Island . The motion picture was well directed by Michael Caton Jones, despite the odd dull bits , and though makes some overlong . Caton has directed nice films with success enough , such as : "Scandal¨, ¨Memphis Belle¨ , ¨Doc Hollywood¨ , ¨This boy's life¨ , ¨Rob Roy¨, ¨The Jackal¨ , ¨City by the Sea" , among others . Rating : 6,5/10. The picture will appeal to Robert De Niro and James Franco fans .
