Sea of Love (1989)

In director Harold Becker's Hitchcock-like, erotic, neo-noir, who-dun-it crime thriller - it told about an investigation by a NYC detective into a series of 'lonely-hearts' murders committed by a serial killer who personally advertised for dates in a newspaper.

On a budget of $19 million, the film with a jazzy soundtrack was a tremendous box-office hit, with $58.6 million (domestic) and $110.8 million (worldwide) revenue.

• the suspenseful film opened in Manhattan with a close-up of a spinning 45 rpm record (Phil Phillips' "Sea of Love") on a turntable, as naked James Mackey (Brian Paul) appeared to be making love to a male, but then was shown to have a gun pointed at him by an unseen assailant before he was shot dead
• the first in a series of 'lonely hearts' murders committed by a suspected female serial killer were being investigated by Detective Frank Keller (Al Pacino), a 42 year-old world-weary workaholic, and a 20 year haggard veteran of the NYPD with a feisty personality, divorced and alcoholic; he was introduced running a sting operation in a banquet hall that offered a free breakfast with the NY Yankees to a group of criminals with outstanding warrants
• it was determined that each of the murder victims was shot in the head and found face-down and naked on a bed; all of the victims appeared to have listened to a repetitively-playing 45 rpm record of "Sea of Love" by Phil Phillips
• there were various clues at each crime scene - cigarette butts with lipstick on them, a set of fingerprints, and singles want-ads (rhyming ads: "Do you remember where we met, that's the day, I knew you were my pet, I wanna tell you, how much I love you...Silver balloons, endless Junes, old rock tunes, let me put it in your moon," and "City streets beneath my feet, 4 AM the longest hour, the hunt goes on till the break of dawn for love, the rarest flower")
• there was a second victim discovered in Queens, and a third man - Mr. Raymond Brown, a married man with children who had placed a rhyming ad in the paper was also being questioned; shortly later, Brown also turned up dead, in the same manner as the other two victims
• in order to catch the suspected 'Casanova' killer ("a psycho woman killing guys"), Keller thought up the idea to place his own lonely-hearts ad in New York Weekly magazine: ("Lady- I live alone within myself like a hut within the woods..."); he invited each of the female respondents to NY's O'Neals Restaurant, in an attempt to acquire and retrieve matching fingerprints; acting as a decoy, he had a number of dinner meetings
• one of his female respondents was Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), a carnal seductress, femme fatale and wicked single mother, Keller's mysterious killer-suspect; currently, she was working in an upscale shoe store

NYPD Frank Keller (Al Pacino)

Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin)

• during their first dinner encounter, she point-blank told him: "You're just not my type....I believe in animal attraction. I believe in love at first sight. I believe in this, and I don't feel it with you"; she abruptly left the table without touching her wine glass to leave prints
• shortly later in the office, Keller also interviewed Cabletone TV cable guy Terry (Michael Rooker), who was in the building's basement around the time of the murder; he had reported a suspicious black kid from the supermarket with corn-rowed hair - identified as Quawi Benjamin, nicknamed "Spooney" - an employee who was fired after a week of work
• coincidentally, Keller again met Helen in a local supermarket, and later that evening, they shared drinks and conversation in a bar; in a "desperate and foolish move," he invited her to his apartment at about 3 am, and in his bedroom experienced a tense, torrid tryst scene together

3 AM Tryst in Keller's Apartment with Helen
Invited to His Apartment	Removal of Red Jacket	Passionate Kissing Against the Wall

• she ripped off her red jacket, revealing a bra-less white T-shirt as they passionately kissed each other; when she went to the bathroom, he grabbed her bag and saw a gun inside; he commanded "Get in bed," expressing both excitement and fear; the female dangerously aroused both his suspicions and lust

Nervous and Anxious

"Get off of me"

An Apology: "I got scared"

• when she appeared from the bathroom in a white bathrobe, he threw her against the wall, frisked her and then tossed her in his closet -- and then he looked more closely and realized her gun was only starter's pistol ("What is it? This ain't real!"); he released her from the closet, and they struggled onto his bed together as she screamed: "You god-damned son of a bitch...Get off of me"; he apologized for his violent reaction to her possession of a gun: ("I got scared...What are you doin' with a starter's pistol?"), and she ultimately acquiesed; their rough foreplay led to her frisking him from behind (and lingering at his crotch) as she kept asking: "What are you looking for, huh?"
• she removed her bathrobe to reveal her nakedness, and then they began love-making against the wall as the scene faded to black; later after making a phone call to her home, she rolled over on top of him, and again began making love; while kissing, he murmured: "You're killing me."

Torrid But Frightening Love Making Against the Wall

• by morning, as he awoke, he asked: "Are we still alive?"; they again sweet-talked in bed, and he was amazed at her stamina. She called herself a "Wonder Woman" and added: "I wonder how we made it through last night in one piece." Although he wanted more, she insisted that she needed to get home to her daughter. She dressed, complimented him for not being a typical man - a creep, manipulator or liar: ("Guys who wait 'til you're in good and deep before you find out who they really are. Guys who - all of a sudden, you're fightin' for your life. Creeps!") - and soon left
• they were beginning to become a serious couple, but when he visited her at her place of work the next day, an upscale shoe store, she learned from two young mobsters in the store that he was a cop, and she was incensed that he had lied to her about his occupation; he remained paranoid and suspicious of her, but also couldn't resist her
• a bit later, they met at a grocery store aisle where she was naked under her black trenchcoat; in the very sexy scene set to a jazzy score, she fondled hot peppers as he touched her bare leg, before another night of love-making at her place; after awakening in the middle of the night, Frank discovered a suspicious tie between her and the murders: she had in her possession a large collection of 45 rpm records, that she claimed she was saving for her daughter
• at the same time, his intention was to go a step further in their relationship and invite her to move in with him; however, she became wary of him when he admitted that he was wearing a wire when they first met, and she told him: "F--k you!" After a few stiff drinks, he insisted on seeing her again at her place at 1 am that morning, to fib about wearing a wire as a way to push her away: "There was no wire. There was no job, no nothin'. I was just sayin' that to push you away from me. Because I was gonna ask you to live with me. And I got scared, you know?"; he wished to take a further step with her in their relationship
• but then another red flag surfaced - he noticed on her refrigerator door that she had put a posting of circled ads, implying that she had dated all of the lonely-hearts murdered men; she told him that she wanted to think about it: "I think I should be alone tonight"
• after he told her "Catch you later" and returned home, she then emerged from the dark end of his apartment hallyway; she wondered whether she had been given an ultimatum: "'Catch you later'? Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Is that some kind of brush-off, Frank?"
• in his apartment after a few kisses, she surprised him by bringing her 45 rpm record of "Sea of Love" to play for him while they danced; this aroused his doubts even further and he thought she was toying with him - he handed her his own gun (after searching her purse and finding her fake one), asking her to finish him off: "Let's get it over with. I don't want to wait a couple more days. Let's get it over with, right now, Bingo...Do you wanna f--k first and get me face down?"

Confronting Helen - Offering His Gun: "Let's get it over with..."

Helen Accused of Being the Killer by Frank

Frank to Helen: "Tell me why you did it?"

• he quizzed her about the dates he knew that she had - with James Mackey and Raymond Brown; it was obvious he had been "following" her around as a murder suspect, and she responded: "They were just dates"; he then ordered her to confess: "Why'd you do it, Helen? Tell me you did it. Tell me why you did it? I want to know everything, all right?" but she was speechless; he accused her of evading arrest by dating him - realizing how their close relationship would void any evidence he had collected: "The arresting officer was f--kin' the doer! See? It's a joke. It won't go to trial even. You understand?"; he let her go and ordered her out of his apartment
• in the film's twist ending, after Helen departed, Frank answered his door where he was attacked by Helen's angry 'creep' ex-husband Terry; he lunged at Frank screaming: "You f--kin' swinging dick! You got in deep, man. She throws a f--kin' court order at me."

Frank Held Face-Down by Killer, Helen's Ex-Husband Terry

• Terry was the cable TV man that Frank had questioned as a witness earlier; with gun drawn, Terry ordered Frank face-down on his bed and asked: "Did you have a good time with her last night?...Show me how you did it to her....You show me and I'll let you go...F--kin' bastard!" Frank retaliated and in the vicious struggle and bloody fight, Terry fell to his death after being thrown through the window
• in the denouement, Helen described how she hadn't seen her ex-husband in about a year, but Terry had been shadowing her for eight months: (Frank: "She had that nutcase over one shoulder, me over the other"); Frank realized he had made it almost impossible for them to have a relationship: ("I'm going to let her go. I ran her through a wringer, man"); it was revealed that Terry had killed all of his ex-wife's 'lonely-hearts' dates (including Mr. James Mackey, a second victim, and Mr. Raymond Brown) - and "Frank Kellogg" (Keller) was undoubtedly next
• in the final scene, Frank felt he must again reconcile with Helen; on a NY street, he told her that she had only known half of him: ("You got to give me a chance, Helen. You never really got to know me, not 100%"); he told her sincerely: "It's killin' me not seeing you. It's killin' me"; they walked away as she offered to buy him a cup of coffee