Unpleasant to watch...but with some amazing acting.

Rating: 9/10 (30 August 2017)

The film begins many years ago and shows three friends, Dave, Jimmy and Sean outside their homes in Boston. Some pedophiles arrive and pretend to be cops and they kidnap and rape Dave...who, fortunately, is able to eventually escape.
Years pass and the three men are grown. Jimmy (Sean Penn) is a family man whose youngest is about to take her first communion. However, he and the family don't realize that his oldest has been brutally murdered. When he learns of this, he vows revenge.
At about the same time, Dave (Tim Robbins) returns home very late. He's bloody and cut...and his story about attacking a mugger seems contrived. There also is a boyfriend of the dead girl...and he has some 'splaining to do. And, there are a couple detectives who are investigating all this and one of them is Sean (Kevin Bacon). What really did happen? Who really is at fault? And, will the police get to them before Jimmy and his thug friends?
"Mystic River" is occasionally tough to watch, as it deals with child sexual abuse, murder and extreme violence. It's also quite grim. Because of this, you should consider all this before watching the film. This being said, it is a very good film and features some amazing acting...so if you're up to it, by all means give the film a look. I appreciate not only the acting but all the false leads and clues...and the viewer will not so easily piece it all together.