Quite possibly one of the finest American films of the past decade.

Rating: 10/10 (2 November 2003)

Think back on the best movies of the previous ten years. Films like `Pulp Fiction,' `Fargo,' and `American Beauty' probably come to mind. Now, consider adding `Mystic River,' the new film from Clint Eastwood, to that list. It is one of the most stirring and enthralling American movies of 2003! This can be attributed to its fantastic cast including Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon and to the impeccable direction of Eastwood. Based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, `Mystic River' tells a story that is so riveting that the audience cannot pull themselves away from it.
`Mystic River' tells the story of three childhood friends whose lives are forever changed by appalling events. While children playing in the streets of a Boston suburb, one of the boys named Dave Boyle is kidnapped and abused for four days. Twenty-five years later, another one of the three friends, Jimmy Markum (Penn), is devastated by the murder of his nineteen-year-old daughter. The murder unites Jimmy and Dave (Robbins), as well as their friend Sean (Bacon), the detective assigned to the case. With the help of fellow detective Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne), Sean uncovers past secrets about both Jimmy and Dave, from Jimmy's time spent in prison to Dave's emotional stress relating back to his childhood abduction. The end result reveals fact and faux pas about each man that they all hoped would be buried forever. The amazing aspect of `Mystic River' is that it shows how one event can lead to future personal flaws. Indeed the event of the Dave's kidnapping as a child wounded all of the boys. Both Jimmy and Sean both comment, `imagine how life would be if I had gotten in that car instead of Dave.' Dave's scares are apparent in his disillusionment of the reality around him. He can't seem to connect with anybody except his son who he feels a need to keep life innocent for since Dave's childhood innocence was so horribly taken away. Jimmy spent time behind bars for a robbery and now he's become a crime boss that everybody respects in the Boston suburb. As for Sean, he's managed to ruin his marriage because he shut his wife out of his own feelings and needs.	The performances are extraordinary! Penn gives a stellar performance that will undoubtedly garnish him a nomination for the Best Actor Oscar. He leaves the audience shaken in so many scenes. Particularly the scene where he finds about his daughter's death: one, for the very fact that she was murdered and two, because she was only nineteen. After all, what parent would want to bury their child? It should be the other way around.
Robbins gives an excellent performance as Dave, the troubled man dealing with his past by not dealing with reality. It's troubling to watch this tragic character and his emotions unfold. You can't help but feel his pain. At the same point, you realize that he is not dealing with reality completely and he needs help.	Bacon and Fishburne are equally incredible for their roles as detectives. Since Bacon's character, Sean, has a past with Jimmy and Dave, Fishbune's character, Whitey, acts as a voice of reason. He reminds Sean to look past the loyalties of friendship and to conduct the case in a proper manner.
Eastwood has crafted a film filled with intrigue for its troubled characters and for its absorbing story. Undoubtedly this film will be considered at Oscar time. What's more, it is quite possibly one of the finest American films of the past decade. ****