A Devastating Tale Of Three Friends Separated By A Tragedy And Reunited By Another

Rating: Null/10 (22 March 2018)

A devastating tale of three friends separated by a tragedy & reunited by another, Mystic River finds Clint Eastwood tackling the themes of friendship, loss, pain & revenge in this slow-burn mystery but the film's real highlight is the outstanding inputs from its ensemble.
The story of Mystic River follows three men who were childhood friends once but have grown distant over the years. Their paths cross each other once again when one of them has a family tragedy, the investigation of which leads to conclusions that shatter each of their lives.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film is another solid effort from the actor-turned-director as he puts more emphasis on the characters at hand than other elements, which in turn gives the actors more room to make their mark. Its period setting & controlled camerawork add to the mood & mystery but the film still wavers in the middle.
Performances are its strongest suit, for Sean Penn, Tim Robbins & Kevin Bacon are absolutely brilliant in their given roles and their chemistry with each other carries that required sense of a history. Penn delivers the finest performance of the three and is expertly supported by Robbins whose troubling portrait of a man still being haunted by his disturbing past leaves a solid impression of its own.
On an overall scale, Mystic River is undoubtedly amongst Clint Eastwood's better directorial efforts and is by all means a skilfully crafted & finely narrated example of its genre but it could've made an even better impression with a tighter editing. Also, what Penn & Robbins manage to accomplish with their respective characters here pretty much overshadows everything else. And for that alone, Mystic River is worth a shot.