Review of:Mystic River (2003)
Director:Clint Eastwood
Rating:R for language and violence
Starring:Laura Linney, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne
There are films‚ that when you see them draw you in. You might not notice that your legs are slowly caressing the end of your seat or that you haven’t blinked in the last five minutes‚ but it has happened. A Director has taken a bit of material‚ and fashioned something so transfixing‚ you can’t take your eyes off of it. Such a film is Mystic River.
This film based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane has no trouble hooking you into its grasp. Shot on location in Boston, Massachusetts the film holds your attention from the first scene and doesn’t let go.
The film is about friendships‚ and about things that happen in our lives that change us. Just imagine three young men‚ not yet initiated in the ways of an uncaring world‚ having their lives changed by an event. That is what has happened to Jimmy Marcus (Sean Penn)‚ Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins)‚ and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon). When their friend is kidnapped by child molesters only to escape later‚ the die has been cast for a top-notch film.
We fast-forward twenty-five years to the future‚ and are reintroduced to the three boys. Even though they have continued on with their lives the stigma of that moment still rides beside them‚ and when a murder occurs to one of their own children‚ it draws them back to feelings and emotions that they realize they haven’t really dealt with.
The beauty of this film that could have easily become a “whodunit” is the incredible acting that is behind each of the main characters. Especially transfixing is Sean Penn who captivates when on screen. Playing a character who embraces the lawless of man as quickly as he can embrace the structure of society. He provides the emotional charge to the film‚ and we feel for him when he loses his daughter. Tim Robbins as Dave Boyle also brings about a performance that is equally transfixing. His slow‚ almost lost actions give you the amount of doubt necessary to wonder what side he is playing ball on.
Many of us have had experiences in our past lives that have scarred us in some way. Clint Eastwood does an excellent job bringing that pain to the screen‚ molding it‚ and presenting it in such a fashion that realism abounds. Catch it now or catch it later‚ but come Academy time‚ this film will be on the ballot.
