A disturbing and suspenseful emotional journey - amongst Eastwood's best

Rating: Null/10 (2 March 2006)

Some people lock their bad memories deeply inside their minds so that they don't come across them again. They have erased truths to live without worries. They have closed the doors of their traumas and thrown them to the bottom of a river. But it is useless because sooner or later, something, no matter how small it may seem, will bring them to the surface and re-open those memories.
In "Mystic River" based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and adapted by Brian Helgeland (LA Confidential), Clint Eastwood establishes the camera as the key to those secrets and the characters as the victims of its unlocking. The characters are three childhood friends. Jimmy (Sean Penn), Dave (Tim Robbins) and Sean (Kevin Bacon) whose relationship broke after the brief kidnapping of one of them - Dave. But now, 25 years later, their lives cross again after another horrible incident: the murder of Jimmy's daughter.
Brendan (Thomas Guiry), a boy Jimmy does not approve of and wanted to run away with his daughter is a suspect. But so is Dave who came home the night of the murder covered in blood and was somewhat hysterical in the presence of his wife (Marcia Gay Harden). Sean, alongside Whitey (Laurence Fishburne) are assigned to the case. We remember that the three were once childhood friends shaken by that tragic event that lead to the decline of their friendship and now a similar things threatens to to so once again. Sean, returning to his childhood place, must face situations he never knew and emotions he pretends never existed.
Jimmy vows to kill his daughter's assassin hiring some neighbourhood criminals to help him in the investigation. Then there is Whitey who thinks that Daqve is obviously guilty after all, everything seems to point in that direction. But Sean is unwilling to suspect a childhood friend.
At the centre of "Mystic River" is the idea that many things that occur in the past do not always vanish with the passage of time. Every act has a big price that can pursue you for good. If the innocence and dreams from childhood are violently shaken the affected individuals may never be cured because traumas can be hidden inside victims even though they ignore it. But does everything count if it serves as a base to hide all the wounds? Every friend has to show his support and hope because in an atmosphere united with the similar sad objective, there is no room for doubts. But if one member (or friend) questions the honesty or truth of the others, probably the group of friends will be wounded to death (not literally).
But "Mystic River" is not only a thriller about men dominated by their past or shaking their heads in disbelief due to their destinies. No, that is to simplistic. This is a character study of the highest order. A brutal analysis in the dissection of tragedy. A film about the importance of the devotion of wives. An emotional puzzle that goes along with the plot only to later throw away all the pieces. A study of innocence, guilt, revenge, paranoia and forgiveness. A film engulfed in incredible tension and sadness. In terms of its moral lesson, "Mystic River" is more cautious than "Unforgiven" and in terms of drama on par (or even above) with "The Bridges of Madison County." I'm not sure where I would rank "Mystic River" amongst Eastwood's other masterpieces but I no for certain he has never united a better cast nor produced more powerful performances. Sean Penn is so intimately violent, angered yet undeniably touching. Tim Robbins transmits all the hopelessness and pain of Dave ad Kevin Bacon, in the best performance I can remember from him, attains the balance and coldness Sean needs to become the judge between his two friends (Dave and Sean). The female performances are also wonderful.
The title "Mystic River" says it all. Although Mystic is a river that passes through Boston, the title is a metaphor of the film's emotional journey. Even though we arrive at a conclusion, the film is about the emotional journey we experience with the deeply fractured characters. With the simple yet commonly ignored idea that films should use real human emotions and take time to reveal the characters, Eastwood has created an elegant but disturbing notion of human nature that is fiercely ironic, filled with frustrations and regrets. When you leave the theatre feeling pain somewhere without knowing why and where don't worry, that is exactly the state you are meant to be in; a bit like the characters.