Dave's Story

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2003)

Dave (Tim Robbins) is, for me, the real center of this movie. The film starts with the description of his traumatic childhood experience. It's Dave who represents the lost innocence of people who blind themselves in front of the fragmented state of their community, who cannot justify violence and death (for survival?) even if they hide behind patriotic icons. It's his calmness, his embracing of family values in the middle of chaos, that is so moving. I really had a hard time witnessing the incestuous affection Jimmy (Sean Penn) had for his daughter, following his "investigation" and accepting his final "mistake", while Dave had all my sympathy. Although it seems Eastwood was more interested in Jimmy's character, "Mystic River" is a good movie with a first-rate performance by Robbins. Unnecessary music (by Eastwood) overemphasizes the drama, as if trying to turn it into a Greek tragedy.