Country:
USA
Recognizable Faces:
Sean Penn
Tim Robbins
Kevin Bacon
Lawrence Fishburne
Directed by:
Mr. Clint Eastwood
How many times has it happened to you? Your favorite writer publishes a kick-ass novel which is later turned into a movie by your favorite actor turned director and casts two other of your favorite actors to play in it. That happened to me when Dennis Lehane published Mystic River which was adapted to a movie by the manliest man ever Clint Eastwood ans starred Sean Penn and Lawrence Fisburne. Sometimes, things just can't go wrong. They might not live up to the greatest expectations, but it cannot go wrong.
STORYTELLING
In good Dennis Lehane fashion, Mystic River is a gut-wretching story of regrets and poisonous feelings mangling at some well-intentioned people. Jimmy Markum(Penn), Sean Devine(Bacon)and Dave Boyle(Robbins) were friends when they were kids. An incident will dictate the course of their life as Dave will get abducted by pedophiles posing as cops. This will murder their friendship in the egg and affect the perception the kids have from law. Jimmy is going to turn into a criminal, Sean into a cop and Dave will be eaten from inside by the terrifying experience and become a reclusive father, who doesn't have much interest but his boy.
Jimmy, once a criminal, turned clean when he got out of jail because of his girl Katie (Emmy Rossum). Now a store owner, he's striving to build himself a life with his new wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) and his three girls. When Katie turns dead in mysterious circumstances, the fragile equilibrium of Jimmy's life explodes in pieces. The same demons of helplessness and frustration that eats on Dave will start eating on him too, in front of the eyes of the assigned detective to the case, Sean Devine himself.
There are situations where nothing can go right. Sean will lead the investigation for the police, but Jimmy will reunite with his once criminal accomplices the Savage brothers in order to have the the truth from a hard-nosed, blue collar neighborhood that is somewhat alien to the police methods. From the perspective of the three friends, you will see them striving the best way they know how to find the truth and try to walk away from the dark places they are in. Man, this is a sophisticated plot if I've ever seen one. Gotta love Dennis Lehane.
DIRECTION
Clint Eastwood has a style of his own and Mystic River is his most celebrated example. More often than not, Eastwood choses to adopt a prude approach to a visceral story, but framing his character large, which makes for some tension, but removes some strength from Lehane's amazing characters. A few times, Eastwood zooms on his main characters and makes for an unforgettable scene (Jimmy, crying the death of Katie with Dave).
The strong visual style and the emphasis on heavy burdened silences favored by Eastwood is not a very good fit to Mystic River, as it drags away from the warm, intimate style that made the novel magical, but in another way, there's not much that can be done to adapt a novel like Mystic River on the big screen.
ACTING
Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won the Oscar in 2004 for best Lead Male and Best Supporting Male Actor. Needless to say it's well-deserved. Marcia Gray Harden has also been nominated for her portrayal of the tortured Celeste Boyle. Penn is the shining star of the movie as he usually is. He plays strength, anger, frustration and sadness with the subtle mastery that we know him. Rare are the actors that can play conflicting emotions with such resolve.
Robbins and Harden are great, playing the couple that's falling apart because of invisible demons. The low key of the cast would have to be given to Bacon and Fishburne that drag emotion away from the story with a disappointingly bland performance as cops. They are floating around the story without ever setting foot in it. Both guys are talented, but show little flare.
INTEREST
Despite being depressing as all hell, Mystic River also have a dark beauty. A dark poetry that is both the fruit of Lehane and Eastwood's efforts. The blue-filtered visual and the grim streets of Boston are represented with great vigor. Clint Eastwood has reached a geriatric age, but it doesn't show. He runs his movies with more energy, sensitivity and artistic instinct than most. The script feels a little stripped, but overall, you'll feel greatly and you'll want to see this movie more than once. This viewing was my third.
NOTE: A-
