"She's a friggin' suspect. Walk away. Frankie? Just walk away." Wayne Kramer and Barry Germansky are braving the erotically-charged tide of Harold Becker's 1989 neo-noir police procedural, Sea of Love, written by Wayne's favorite writer, Richard Price, and starring Al Pacino in his post-Revolution comeback film, alongside Ellen Barkin in the role that solidified her sultry leading lady status. Pacino's Detective Frank Keller, partnered with John Goodman, is on the trail of a serial murderer who is using the personal ads column to entice male victims. Before Sharon Stone began romancing Michael Douglas with an ice pick in Basic Instinct, Barkin's Helen Cruger was already bringing the fuck me-kill you ambiguity to this twisty cop thriller. Wayne goes to the mat to defend Sea of Love as the perfect thriller, and is ready to get Frank Keller-style karate-choppy on anyone who claims otherwise, especially those who don't think the film has a strong resolution. If you like your 80s NYPD cop thrillers drenched in mood and attitude and late-night eroticism, as well as edge of your seat "Is she or isn't she?" anxiety, then brace yourself for one to the back of the head in the best possible way. Richard Price's complex, neurotic characters, Harold Becker's stellar craftsmanship, Trevor Jones' manic, jazzy score and Pacino and Barkin sexing up the big screen all make for an underrated masterpiece of the genre. So, pour yourself a shot of Dewar's, break out your old .45s, and drop the needle on Sea of Love.
","author_name":"Wayne Kramer and Barry Germansky "}