Mystic River (2003)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Dennis Lehane (novel)
Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

We bury our sins, we wash them clean.

Plot:

With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Police | Sexual Abuse | Childhood Friend | Gun

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 41 wins & 64 nominations

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Jimmy Markum
Tim Robbins	...	Dave Boyle
Kevin Bacon	...	Sean Devine
Laurence Fishburne	...	Sgt. Whitey Powers
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Celeste Boyle
Laura Linney	...	Annabeth Markum
Kevin Chapman	...	Val Savage
Tom Guiry	...	Brendan Harris (as Thomas Guiry)
Emmy Rossum	...	Katie Markum
Spencer Treat Clark	...	Silent Ray Harris
Andrew Mackin	...	John O'Shea
Adam Nelson	...	Nick Savage
Robert Wahlberg	...	Kevin Savage
Jenny O'Hara	...	Esther Harris
John Doman	...	Driver

MPAA:

Rated R for language and violence.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut) | India:A | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39873)

Filming Locations:

Bear dens, Long Crouch Woods, Franklin Park, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Forest Whitaker was the original choice for Whitey Powers and almost accepted, but had to back out due to other conflicts.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As the young Dave Boyle is being driven away by the pedophiles, we cut back to the young Jimmy and Sean standing in the street. In the background to the right, in plain view, is a modern era police car.

Quotes:

Sean Devine: The reality is we're still 11 year old boys locked in a cellar imagining what our lives would have been if we'd escaped.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in University Heights: A Look Behind the Scenes (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Black Emerald Blues

Chilling, effective and real

After a while, one has come to expect mediocrity from Clint Eastwood. "Blood Work" "Space Cowboys" and "Sudden Impact" all shining examples of this. But what he has here is true; sophisticated, intricate and rewarding. Viewing is definitely recommended.

Three boys, Dave (Tim Robbins) Jimmy (Sean Penn) and Sean (Kevin Bacon) are reunited after the murder of Jimmy's nineteen year-old daughter. Immediately, a whodunit case arrives. Sounds average, dunnit?...

No. It's much more than average. What might appear as a normal murder mystery is more. The acting, particularly from Robbins and Penn, is immaculate. Robbins is still recovering from child sexual abuse along time ago. Penn, so realistically and amazingly, mourns over the loss of his daughter. Laurence Fishburne (playing cop Whitey) is as smart talking as ever, whilst Kevin Bacon gives a solid performance as the homicide cop investigating the case.

Though the film becomes a bit uneven towards the end, this tough, brutal and uncompromising; but still, a masterpiece, and the best work Eastwood as done in years.

Final Analysis: 9 out of 10