Outstanding Stars and Story
Mystic River is Dark and Deep

Good films aren't hard to find. But sometimes they go away too fast. Such was the case with Mystic River, the compelling film of friendship and loss directed by Clint Eastwood. Originally released last October, Mystic River is enjoying a revival at local theaters because of the slew of Oscar nominations it received and the Golden Globes awarded to Sean Penn and Tim Robbins for their performances.

Based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, Mystic River is the story of three men who grew up in a rough neighborhood of Boston. One of the boys was abducted and abused, and that tragedy became a turning point in the lives of all three. Years later, the boys have gone their separate ways and hardly see each other. Dave (Robbins) still lives in the area, with his wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) and son. Jimmy (Penn) is an ex-con who lives in his old house with his wife (Laura Linney) and three daughters. Sean (Kevin Bacon) has joined the Massachusetts State Police and is currently separated. The three lives dovetail together when Jimmy's oldest daughter, Katie (Emmy Rossum) is murdered, bringing out old fears, suspicions, and loyalties.

While Sean and his partner (Lawrence Fishburne) work to uncover the murderer, Jimmy is working through his grief and trying to follow up leads of his own. Some of his "associates" are working the neighborhood, trying to discover the person responsible before the cops can bring him to justice. Jimmy wants revenge, not justice, and has vowed over his daughter's corpse to kill the person who murdered her. Unfortunately, the murder trail may lead where he does not expect.

What comes from this film are several excellent performances -- most of all from Penn, who displays rage, despair, and cold merciless anger. His character Jimmy is one of the most realistic and frightening portrayals of a grief-stricken father that I have ever seen. Everything about this role is believable. Although I've never been a fan of Penn in the past, I'll be anxious to see him again in the future.

The strength of Mystic River is in its solid story. It is constantly shifting, always moving forward, and often uncertain in its course. Each of the three leads is well-developed, but much more time is spent with Jimmy and Dave. Sean, working the homicide case, is used more as a way of exposing the strengths and weaknesses of the other characters.

The women, for the most part, are supporting characters. Harden's performance is interesting, but a little irritating in its repetition. She shakes like a leaf and looks scared for most of the movie. Linney (one of the most underrated actresses around, in my humble opinion) is much stronger in the relatively little screen time she has. Her conversation with Jimmy near the end of the film is one of the most chilling. With a strength that seems to feed off of Jimmy, she props him up and makes him stronger. It's a frightening transformation.

Cinematically, the film is simple but effective. There aren't any grand vistas. Every horizon is blocked by houses, giving the neighborhood a claustrophobic feeling. Eastwood's direction is good, but the musical score he composed is absolutely essential. When I found out that he wrote the score I was in awe. I never expected it from him. The music becomes a part of the film and it deserves note.

In short, Mystic River is an excellent film that deserved to be on my Top 10 last year. If I had seen it sooner, it would have been.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 137 min.