Review: Mystic River

Rated R | 137 mins

A bold, daring, and dark picture, Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River is set in a Boston neighborhood, and portrays the lives of three childhood friends, once grown. When young boys, two child molesters, pretending to be cops, confronted Jimmy, Dave, and Sean when they were writing their names in wet, drying concrete on the sidewalk. The men asked where each one of them lived, in hopes that they would be able to take one hostage. Jimmy and Sean resided in homes right in front of where the incident took place, but Dave lived on a different street. They insisted that they would have to take him home, and being just a child, he hesitantly got into their car as requested. They kidnapped him, as intended, and tortured him for four days before he was able to escape. This event traumatized all three of the buddies for a long period of time. However, many years later, their once eventful relationships faded into casual acquaintances.

When Jimmy’s (Sean Penn’s) nineteen year-old daughter is suddenly murdered, the three are reunited, and begin to redevelop the deep bond which they once had. Sean (Kevin Bacon), now a homicide detective, is the primary investigator of the case. Dave (Tim Robbins) becomes a suspect for the killing, because of all of the evidence against him. While the story unravels, tremendous forces are at work. Mystic River becomes one of the most heartbreaking and touching movies in the history of cinema, and one of the finest of the year, at that.

Each member of the all-star cast delivers an excellent performance. Penn is insanely spectacular as the father, simultaneously mourning the loss of his girl and trying to find and annihilate her murderer before the police are able to arrest him. Bacon plays the role of Sean fairly straight, but is effective, nonetheless. Robbins is definitely the strong-suit of the entire film; though we, as the audience, never feel that he is guilty of the crime, the way he portrays his character’s interaction with those who do is incredible. Also worth mentioning are Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, and Lawrence Fishburne. Harden and Linney play the wives of Dave and Jimmy; their bond is one of the most intriguing of the entire movie. Fishburne is Whitey, Sean’s detective partner, always keeping the audience captivated by his commanding work, every time he’s onscreen.

The sole flaw of Mystic River lies in its assembly. The way this film is strung together feels as though it’s been loosely woven onto a small and wearing thread. The scenes don’t match up together, in terms of mood or feel; while this movie is able to capture many emotions, the way in which they are connected is rough and jumbled. The transitions, from one passage to the next, are uneasy and misguided. However, the content itself is just as powerful, nonetheless. In the scheme of things, this is a small fault in a masterful picture.

While it may be rough around the edges in certain cases, Mystic River is still a powerful film. For those who do not mind viewing depressing tales, this is one of the few must-see motion pictures of the year. I will definitely be revisiting it many times in the future, for it’s one of the most emotionally complex and beautiful experiences I’ve had at the movie theatre, in the last decade.