Mystic River (Full Screen Edition)

Mystic River (Full Screen Edition)

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Movie Reviews of Mystic River (Full Screen Edition)

Movie Review: A CLASSIC TRAGEDY
Summary: 5 Stars

MYSTIC RIVER plays like a modern day Greek tragedy, full of pathos, remorse, guilt, failure in love, etc. Brian Helgeland is to be commended for his faithful adaptation of Dennis Lehane's brilliant book. Clint Eastwood is to be commended for his superb direction, getting remarkable performances from his outstanding cast. Those who didn't like this movie probably aren't the kind who like a slower moving film, and one that can ultimately only end tragically, with no resolutions firmly established. I found it to be a moving, disturbing film, one that would have won more Oscars had it not been up against the Lord of the Rings Return of the King. Apples and oranges...those two films are so different it's hard to compare their excellences. While The Return of the King is a fantastic film, MYSTIC RIVER is equally impressive but for different reasons.
Sean Penn, Cinema's ultimate bad boy, brings a depth to the character of Jimmy Markham that I would not have imagined. Overacting? How can a parent not over-react to the terrible tragedy of losing his oldest daughter. Penn shows the inner torment, the guilt of having spent time in prison and losing his wife, and trying to discover his daughter. A man who is a devout Catholic, ironically has chosen a life of crime to support his family. Penn devastates with his performance and deserved his Oscar, hands down.
Tim Robbins as Dave is likewise brilliant and he too deserved his supporting Oscar. His scene with his wife in discussing vampirism and how he likens it to his life is chilling. "Sometimes it gets in you, and you can't get rid of it." The devastating effects of his childhood abduction have shaped his life, and shamed him enough that he won't tell the truth about where he was on the night of Katie's murder.
Kevin Bacon, one of our most underappreciated actors, shines in his role as Sean, the third of the boyhood friends, who as a homicide detective has to confront old pains in finding out who killed Penn's daughter. His own failed marriage is exemplified in the telephone conversations with his wife who won't even talk to him. Bacon deserved a nomination, but his role isn't quite as showy as the other two.
Oscar winner and nominee Marcia Gay Harden is heartbreaking as Robbins' wife who finds herself confused at her husband's behavior and the blood on his body the night of Katie's murder. Her ultimate fear and confession to Penn leads to tragedy. Harden's scene where she waves frantically to her young son in the final parade scene is heartbreaking.
Laura Linney, one of our finest actresses, shines in the role of Annabeth, Jimmy's supportive and ambitious wife. She deserved a nomination but again since her role wasn't too flashy and she didn't have a lot of screen time, she was overlooked. But feast in Linney's talent in the scene where she tells Jimmy he could be king and rule their world. Her own agenda and ambition are coldly captured, and Linney is superb in conveying that.
Also excellent in smaller roles are Thomas Guiry as Brandon, the boyfriend of Katie, who was going to run off with her to Las Vegas, and Laurence Fishburne as Bacon's cynical hardboiled partner.
The entire cast is perfect, and the movie packs an emotional wallop rarely captured in today's youth-oriented cinema.
MYSTIC RIVER is a cinematic experience of immeasurable power, and does justice to a most exceptional novel. Read it if you haven't already.

Summary of Mystic River (Full Screen Edition)