City by the Sea is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand, William Forsythe, and George Dzundza. It deals with the family problems of a wayward youth, and is set against a man trying to break free of his past. It is based on the story of Long Beach, New York, detective Vincent LaMarca.