Mystic River

Who would of thunk that Clint Eastwood, the kick ass cowboy from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly(my #4 favorite movie of all time) would make an awesome director? And he directed a drama at that! And a fine film this drama, this Mystic River, is.

The films opening scene is of a typical New York neighborhood. Three young boys play street hockey, but lose their ball to a sewer. They come across a wet block of cement in the sidewalk and take turns writing their names in the wet cement; Jimmy, Sean and Da... but Dave is unable to finish as a black car pulls up to the house. A man steps out and tells the boys that he is a cop. He asks each of them where they live then orders Dave into the back of his car. He tells the other boys not to mess up any more sidewalks or he'll come back and beat them. We are then shown that the man is not a cop, but a kidnapper who takes Dave away. He does (thankfully unseen) horrible things to him, before Dave escapes. However, these events will not only affect Dave further down the road, but Sean and Jimmy as well.

We then jump twenty some years down the road. Dave is married with a son. Jimmy is an ex-con with a family and Sean is a cop whose wife has left him for an unspecified reason. After the murder of Jimmy's daughter the three are thrown into a whirlwind of events that lead to an explosive and tragic conclusion.

Eastwood's film is effective, chilling, intense and all around wonderful. The performances from the entire cast: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney are excellent and some were even Oscar nominated.

The two and a half hour run time feels drastically shorter thanks to the captivating story and near perfect pacing. The cinematography and other technical elements such as lighting and even music are quite excellent.

Though the film is not without flaws such as a rather unsatisfying (yet realistic) ending and probably a bit too much unnecessary exposition. Nevertheless, this film kept me on the edge of my seat and had enough mystery to keep me guessing until the final revelation.

In the end, however, this film is about human suffering.What things we suffer through tragedy and trauma can make a person do. And how pain and anger causes a human to do rash and unjust things. It's a brutal reality that Eastwood isn't afraid to show in a gritty light. And when the final credits roll one most consider the fact that justice isn't always served, and that the world is a dark and cruel place.

8/10

Rated R for Violence and Language.