In theaters

CITY BY THE SEA. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Written by Ken Hixon. 108 minutes. Rated R.

The new detective movie, “City by the Sea,” sets its murder in Lower Manhattan, not far from the very spot where the World Trade Center towers once stood.

For some directors, releasing such a film so close to Sept. 11 would have been enough reason to balk, especially considering that the movie was filmed before the terrorist attacks, thus guaranteeing that some shots would include the towers in the background.

But Michael Caton-Jones didn’t balk. He also didn’t continue the trend of digitally removing the towers from key scenes in movies, as Cameron Crowe did in his film “Vanilla Sky,” and Steven Brill in his film “Mr. Deeds.”

No matter how good their intentions, what Crowe and Brill did was a mistake. By erasing the towers to reflect Manhattan’s altered skyline, they allowed the terrorists another victory by watching us remove what had already been leveled and change what should never have been changed – our popular art.

Unfortunately, in spite of Caton-Jones’ decision to leave the towers intact and to place them prominently in his film, “City by the Sea” is only average at best, a police procedural starring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco that mirrors Clint Eastwood’s “Blood Work” in that it’s little more than a well-acted television melodrama shot for the big screen.

In the film, De Niro is Vincent LaMarca, a troubled homicide detective whose estranged, drug-addicted son, Johnny Nova (Franco), has murdered a drug dealer in an act of self-defense.

Now on the run from the cops and also from the dealer’s boss, a gun-wielding thug named Spyder (William Forsythe), Johnny is in the sort of quandary from which his father, whom he hasn’t seen for 14 years, might not be able to save him.

Still, in spite of having to deal with his own personal demons (his father was a baby killer executed by the state when Vincent was 8), a bitter ex-wife (Patti Lupone) always ready to fight, and a terrific girlfriend (McDormand) who’s ready to move on if Vincent doesn’t start becoming emotionally available, Vincent does his best to strike a balance and help his son while also discovering who he is within the erupting turmoil.

With De Niro essentially playing De Niro and McDormand wasted in a role that does nothing with her character other than asking her to baby-sit Vincent and his newly found grandson, “City by the Sea” goes through the motions and neatly ties up all its loose ends, but it does so without ever generating the sort of heat its cast is fully capable of delivering.

Grade: C

On video and DVD

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Directed by Kevin Reynolds. Written by Jay Wolpert. 110 minutes. Rated PG-13.

For adventure fans, Kevin Reynolds’ “The Count of Monte Cristo” has it all – romance, betrayal, a daring escape, sudden wealth, terrific action and swordplay – and a beautifully executed set-up for revenge that leaves a satisfying mark on-screen.

The film, which Jay Wolpert adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ much-filmed 1844 novel, stars James Caviezel as Edmond Dantes, a naive, up-and-coming sailor whose love affair with the buxom Mercedes (Dagmara Dominszyk) is such a sticking point with his jealous friend Fernand de Mondego (Guy Pearce), that Mondego doesn’t hesitate to burn Dantes with a false treason charge when the opportunity presents itself.

Now locked away in an Alcatraz-like prison on the Chateau d’If, Dantes spends the next 14 years questioning his relationship with God, hardening his soul – and then tunneling his way to freedom while also planning his revenge.

He does so with the help of Abbe Faria (Richard Harris), a fellow prisoner whose friendship, influence and hidden treasure ultimately transform Dantes into the Count of Monte Cristo – a man whose revenge will be especially significant when he learns that Mondego has since married Mercedes and fathered their child.

With Luis Guzman as Dantes’ loyal servant Jacopo, a piggish man Dantes won in a fight, “The Count of Monte Cristo” isn’t the definitive version of Dumas’ novel – that belongs to Rowland Lee’s 1934 movie – but it’s solid.

Throughout, there’s the sense that the failures of Reynolds’ past (he directed “Waterworld”) and the lowered expectations he enjoys in the present might have freed him to make a good movie. Under his direction, Caviezel, in particular, is especially good, finally exchanging the brain-dead brand of acting that has defined so many of his previous performances with an energy and a charisma that become the soul of the movie.

Grade: B+

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, occasionally on E! Entertainment’s “E! News Weekend,” Tuesdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5” and Thursdays on “NEWS CENTER at 5:30” on WLBZ-2 and WCSH-6. He can be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.