Clint Eastwood's masterpiece; one of the year's best - truly exceptional acting and an instant classic in the making

Rating: Null/10 (14 October 2003)

MYSTIC RIVER (2003) **** Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Laurence Fishburne, Emmy Rossum, Tom Guiry, Eli Wallach, Kevin Conway. Absorbing adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel about three childhood friends (Penn, Robbins and Bacon, all giving career high performances) reunited by the tragic killing of Penn's eldest daughter set in the gritty Boston surroundings that culminates with a shared past involving the abduction and molestation of Robbins' character  and ultimately the prime suspect of the murder investigation conducted by Bacon's homicide cop. Director Clint Eastwood superbly guides his stellar cast (including some exceptional work by Harden as the brittle wife of Robbins and Linney as a staid spouse of Penn) with a dignified élan that incorporates every possible emotion  grief, loss, pain, anger, redemption, vengeance, and eventually betrayal  with shrewd storytelling thanks to Brian Helgeland's smart, sharp script and the wise decision to shoot on location to give the film a sense of urgency and poignancy. Eastwood is at the top of his game and delivers a subtle masterpiece as does his principals  all who deserve Oscar recognition  especially the three principals  Penn's explosiveness, Robbin's implosiveness and Bacon's simmering doubts about everything in his life. A true American classic in the making. One of the year's absolute best.