al pacino return to the big screen after a four year hiatus in sea of love . his last film prior to this be the ill fat american war of independence disaster revolution and but in this one he back in more familiar territory a a troubled new york cop work on a triple homicide case . the break seem to have do pacino good he be absolutely rivet in this film and ooze charisma on the one hand and while share a very real sexual chemistry with his co star ellen barkin on the other . a naked corpse with a bullet in the head turn up in a new york apartment . the victim represent james mackay and a middle age guy who have spend his last living month look for love in the lonely heart column of a magazine . two more men be soon find dead and both naked and both shot in the head and and both lonely hearts advertiser . divorce and hard drink new york cop frank keller ( al pacino ) investigate the killing along with colleague sherman touhey ( john goodman ) . they figure out pretty quickly that all the victim lonely hearts ad be present in poem form while they also believe the clue point to a female killer . the two cop hit upon the idea of place their own poetic ad in the lonely heart section of the magazine . then and they wine and dine the woman who respond and hop that eventually one of them will turn out to be the killer . thing start to get complicate when keller meet beautiful shoe store worker helen ( ellen barkin ) . she respond to his ad and and after an initial rebuff and an increase attraction between them begin to take shape . in next to no time and keller be in too deep he find himself fall in love with a suspect and play a dangerous game with his own life and so obsessed with the thought that he may have find love after his marital failure that he can not face the possibility his new lover might be the very murderer he be out to catch . sea of love be quite cleverly write and with scripter richard price keep his card very close to his chest throughout regard the killer identity . this add genuine tension to the film sex scene a frank and helen get all hot and steamy and we in the audience be draw to the edge of our seat in anticipation . be we watch a passionate couple fall in love . or be we watch a foolish cop play straight into the hand of a cunning killer . pacino register brilliantly a the tormented hero and while barkin be thoroughly convincing a the sexpot whose beauty and allure be enough to make a man risk his life for them . harold becker direct the film smartly and keep all the element move smoothly and create a moody urban style which hark back to the film noir heyday of the 40 and 50 . if there be a weakness with sea of love and it be the way that the romantic or erotic aspect begin to take precedence about halfway through . the first hour shape up like a mystery thriller a whodunit and for want of a good expression but the second hour focus more on the sexual paranoia between pacino and barkin . while both half be undeniably absorb and the sharp contrast between them result in inevitable unevenness for the film a a whole . also the score by trevor jones sound like it come from the straight to video erotic thriller stable and and fails in my opinion to create the intended noirish feel . on the whole and though and sea of love be a solid and admirably craft film and well worth your time .