Directed by:
Clint EastwoodScreenplay:
Brian HelgelandCinematography:
Tom SternComposer:
Clint EastwoodCast:
Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Kevin Chapman, Tom Guiry, Emmy Rossum, Spencer Treat Clark (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
When they were kids growing up together in a rough section of Boston, Jimmy Markum, Dave Boyle and Sean Devine spent their days playing stickball on the street, the way most boys did in their blue-collar neighborhood of East Buckingham. Nothing much out of the ordinary ever happened, until a moment's decision drastically altered the course of each of their lives forever. Twenty-five years later, the three find themselves thrust back together by another tragic event--the murder of Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter. Now a cop, Sean is assigned to the case and he and his partner are charged with unraveling the seemingly senseless crime. In the wake of the sudden and terrible loss of his child, Jimmy's mind becomes consumed with revenge--and his own plans to find the killer. Caught up in the maelstrom is Dave, now a lost and broken man fighting to keep his demons at bay. As the investigation creeps closer to home, his wife Celeste becomes consumed by suspicion and fear, while Jimmy's wife, Annabeth, draws her family tighter together in order to weather the storm. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (10)
It's not satisfying as a classic crime drama, but it is as a psychological drama. The film flows at the slow pace of a lazy river, there are no camera exhibitions, Clint directs artfully, giving a lot of space to actors who can show a lot of their range, and that's how I like it. Tim Robbins in particular dominates the performances, and here the Oscar is in the right hands. On the other hand, I would question the second award-winning actor, because Sean Penn, in truth, overacts in places. The intelligently written story manages to draw you in and not let go, although there are a few distracting elements, namely, the wife's strange silent phone calls to Detective Devin (played convincingly by Kevin Bacon), which have no connection to the plot and take it nowhere, and the poor symbolism in Robbins' character's reasoning – I didn't get the "vampires" (= pedophiles?) thing. Nevertheless, great satisfaction, also thanks to the unconventionally closed story. They don’t make many films like this in Hollywood today.
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Mystic River is a dark crime drama laced with intimate character studies. With minimal music, this slow, quiet film is certainly not an adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride, but rather a serious human drama that is perhaps even more thought-provokingly powerful in its conclusion than A Perfect World. A visually simple film relying mainly on the actors and editing. The editor could have still done more, but the actors save it.
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A true Clint Eastwood masterpiece and my burning candidate for the best work ever in Eastwood's entire filmography. The great thing about Mystic River is that the central crime plot is informed by the very different characters of the three main protagonists, alongside their dark childhood experiences. All three characters are also exceedingly interesting to watch as adults when, due to a sudden event, they are all forced to meet again (despite the fact that each is now completely different). It works very well as a crime drama, but the almost intimate/psychological dimension adds much more urgency to the whole story with its rising intensity. Sean Penn in particular manages to convey his character's feelings and motivations to the viewer in a unique (and very much his own) way, which, combined with Tim Robbins' equally excellent performance, pushes Mystic River far beyond the boundaries of a conventional crime story. The excellent ending, which basically just crowns a brilliantly played-out romp with all the characters, is then just the cherry on top. A genre film delicacy.
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Thanks to Sean Penn's performance (not only in the formally perfect scene of finding the victim), the film is better than it would be without him. The crime story mixed with a heartrending drama holds up more than solidly until the finale, which unexpectedly escalates minute by minute and pulls many surprises on the viewer. Although you will understand what that river in the title is looking for during it, the previous atmosphere collapses in that instant.
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An intimate psychological thriller that relies on a very talented cast and the reliable, experienced direction of Clint Eastwood. It's not a film that would cause a revolution in cinema or bring me to ecstasy with its execution, but on the other hand, it has no significant flaws and represents a solid above-average in its genre. Overall impression: 75%.
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