Big names like Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon lead the cast, and with Clint Eastwood at the helm, its no surprise that the 2003 mystery film “Mystic River” was nominated for six Academy Awards – winning two – and is thoroughly deserving of the hype and praise it has received.
Like “Gone Baby Gone,” “Mystic River explores the darker elements found in Boston, with the neighborhood feel and small town/big city mentality that just doesn’t exist in NY or LA. Director Clint Eastwood provides us with a dreary, almost dreamlike feeling throughout the story, and it serves as a perfect blanket to a thrilling plot and captivating performances.
The movie opens with three young boys playing hockey in the street – the kind of image one pictures when thinking of a tightly knit urban neighborhood. The boys carve their initials in a section of fresh cement, and it becomes an iconic symbol of the entrapment within the neighborhood streets that will plague them for the rest of their lives. The story quickly turns dour in one of the most compelling opening sequences you will even find in a film. The shocking start has ramifications on the characters involved, as we proceed to the present day set 25 years later.
Sean Penn stars as Jimmy Markum, an ex con who still rubs elbows with his thuggish friends. Jimmy is married to Annabeth (the beautiful Laura Linney) and has a special relationship with teenage daughter Katie. Penn delivers a performance for the ages that will leave you speechless at times as he demonstrates a fluid range of emotional charges, ranging from utter sadness to venomous and calculating rage.
I won’t reveal the details of the story like the Netflix cover does (FYI – don’t read the Netflix jacket if you haven’t seen the movie) but one scene in particular is acted so well, you’ll have no doubts as to why Penn won Best Actor for the performance.
“Mystic River” is a crime story at heart, with Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins equally impressive alongside Penn. Bacon plays the hardened Boston detective, Sean Devine, a man with marital troubles and a penchant for the bottle. Devine and his partner (Laurence Fishburne) are tasked with solving a truly tragic and disturbing case, and balancing lifelong friendships and the code of the Boston streets at the same time.
Tim Robbins plays Dave Boyle, a deeply troubled family man; married to Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) and loving father to his young son. Robbins took home Best Supporting Actor, and like Penn, is equally impressive. The star of the classic “The Shawshank Redemption” here plays a shadow of that character, a humble and simple sort who suffers from decades worth of demons.
The mysteries that are housed within the Dave character will keep the audience on a constant state of alert, never really knowing what, if anything, his actions have accomplished.
“Mystic River” has a riveting plot that never gets dull, despite its 2:17 running time. My only complaint is that it goes just a touch too long, and while snipping five minutes may have been an improvement, its by no means a necessity. On the screen we watch professional actors doing their thing, and conveying memorable characters.
Behind the scenes, Clint Eastwood (nominated for Best Director and losing to one of the ridiculous “Lord of the Rings” movies) displays near cinematic perfection with the breadth of the story and the backdrop itself. We get the feeling that Boston is a brooding metropolis that its inhabitants become a permanent part of, and Eastwood knows how to get the most out of his stars and story.
“Mystic River” is a great film. Fans of cinema will enjoy its symbolism and finer points on the art of filmography. Casual fans will find the plot and characters involved to be wildly entertaining. Its dark in both its literal tones and its figurative story.
by – Matt DeCristo
