Review of Sea of Love (1989) by Doctor S — 19 May 2011

One of my favorite '80s thrillers, and certainly the best example of one cashing in on the crazy-female-killer-or-is-she? trend started by Fatal Attraction and immortalized by Basic Instinct. This movie easily outclasses both for style, tension, titillation, and mystery while exhibiting grit instead of gloss.

Al Pacino is terrific as detective Frank Keller, a sympathetic divorced cop which a strong sense of moral justice, which doesn't mean he always follows the letter of the law. His internal conflicts are fascinating to watch unfold and compare them to our own reactions. He is paired with new partner John Goodman who is also great and tries to keep Frank from making the wrong choices. Ellen Barkin also delivers as the sultry & mysterious femme fatale, earning even higher praise from Roger Ebert in his review: "There can be little doubt, at this point, that Barkin is one of the most intense and passionately convincing actresses now at work in American movies.".

I have watched this several times because the suspense is so well measured and the characters so well drawn, which is certainly a very rare combination of elements in a thriller.