Sombre And Reflective Character Drama/Thriller

Rating: 6/10 (3 July 2005)

Three childhood pals from Boston are reunited as adults under tragic circumstances when one is suspected of murdering the daughter of another, and the third is the cop leading the investigation into her death.
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, this is a thoughtful and open-ended study of grief and innocence lost. Eastwood's sparse, unhurried direction is well-suited to the grim subject matter and to bringing out fine performances from the three leads, although for my money the best acting comes from Harden (as the wife who suspects something awful) and Fishburne (as the street-savvy sergeant). The movie is a fine character study, with a lovely simple score by Eastwood himself, but the murder plot doesn't really stand up to much scrutiny. In its more tender moments however, this is a movie filled with emotion, insight and pathos, and a wonderful example of a regrettably old-fashioned style of film-making - no pyrotechnics, realism without overacting, slow build suspense and a keen but very relaxed style. Don't miss a terrific unbilled cameo by Eli Wallach as a goofy liquor-store owner called Mr Loony - he previously worked with Eastwood on a very memorable picture just thirty-seven years earlier !!