Straightforward and Well-Crafted Filmmaking

Rating: 6/10 (8 January 2004)

Amazingly straightforward and well-crafted Mystic River invokes nostalgia for Good Ol' Days' filmmaking. Acting and story tell everything without any flashy gimmick; this type of filmmaking is rare nowadays in the US, in both Hollywood and the independent scene. Some pictures, such as the lynch behind a bar at the climax, are reminiscent of the Spaghetti Westerns.
This old-fashioned filmmaking produced over-masculine tone, portrayal of women as vulnerable attributes to men, and implied homophobia as byproducts, all of which don't quite fit into contemporary values.