It has alot of strengths but it is not quite a masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2003)

My Rating: ***1/2 out of ****.
Mystic River is without a doubt one of the best movies of the year. In fact, it maybe the best I have seen so far. It has alot of strengths but it is not quite a masterpiece. Don't get me wrong, Mystic River is a great film but it has one significant flaw in it.
Mystic River is a powerful, dark, and depressing film. Anyone who does not like dark films should best stay away. It features a powerful performance by Sean Penn. He shows such real emotion in this film. This will no doubt lead to his fourth Oscar nomination. Penn gives a brilliant, flawless interpretation of his character.
Following Penn closely behind is Tim Robbins. Robbins performance is much more low-key than Penn's. However, its nearly as effective. His character has alot of pain inside. Because of Robbins we feel the pain he is going through. If he does not get an Oscar Nomination, it will be a damn tragedy because he deserves it.
The third most effective performance belongs to Marcia Gay Harden. I am not as familar with her work but she was perfectly cast here. Her character is the wife of Tim Robbins character. She plays a scared housewife who is not sure if she believes her husband perfectly.
The rest of the cast gives solid performances, although maybe not Oscar worthy. Laura Linney is solid, shes not in the movie for more than 10 minutes, but her speech at the end definitely is her high point. As much as I like Kevin Bacon as an actor, he will not get an Oscar nomination. He is solid but not great. Laurence Fishburne is also solid.

One thing that I definitely noticed in the film was the mood. The cinematography has a real gloomy look to it, which fits the film perfectly. The score of the film is also excellent.
The script was written by Brian Helgeland, who was the man who wrote the brilliant script for LA Confidential. Theres no doubt he used alot of his talents to adapt the book but there is one significant flaw in the script. The conflicts that Penn and Robbins characters have our so well presented. But Bacon's is so undeveloped. I am not sure if thats a problem with the book or Helgeland's fault. But with this flaw, I could not give it a four-star rating.
Some complain about the ending. However, I think its the perfect conclusion. A theme in Mystic River is loyalty and this is so well presented at the end of the movie. It also shows a sign of rejection. Clint Eastwood has crafted one of the years best. I dont know where Mystic River will end up this year on my top ten list because I still have alot to see. Although, I am pretty sure it will be there somewhere.