Mystic River

UK Release Date: 17 October 2003

Certification: 15

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Spencer Treat Clark, Laurence Fishburne, Tom Guiry, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins

Rating: 84%

We bury our sins, we wash them clean. 

Review:

Mystic River is an excellent crime thriller directed by filmmaking legend, Clint Eastwood. With three outstanding central performances and a gripping story, the film thoroughly deserves all the praise it received. 

Sean Penn delivers such a morally convoluted performance as Jimmy Markum. The former Boston mob boss is put through a family tragedy and Mystic River displays his reaction throughout the movie's run time. His emotions often get the better of him but that's what makes him a relatable character. We, as an audience, understand that he isn't a particularly good man but he is simply trying to do the best for his family. Sean Penn thoroughly deserved the Oscar for   his poignant and moving performance. Tim Robbins also won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Mystic River. His complex performance of the sexually abused, Dave Boyle, is terrifying at times. But personally, Kevin Bacon was the real standout for me. I thought he played, dead pan cop perfectly to me. He's conflicted because he realises that the people surrounding him aren't good but they're his childhood friends. I thought the storyline with his wife completely epitomised his character arc throughout the run time. 

The side characters are also interesting in their own right. Laurence Fishburne and Tom Guiry provide committed performances as Whitey Powers and Brendan Harris respectively. However, to me it felt like Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney weren't on the same level as everybody else. It looked as if they were simply trying too hard.

Clint Eastwood started off his career as an actor but since venturing into directing he has won two academy awards (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) and his style and accomplishments are no different in Mystic River. He effortlessly creates tension in almost every scene, revealing subtle details throughout the film's runtime. Eastwood also provides the movie's score with the main theme really standing out. The music escalates to create an uplifting and emotive piece. 

Apart from a few scenes feeling a little dated I thought Mystic River was an excellent exploration at the friendship between a mob boss, detective and rape victim.