Plays like a serious reality check.

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2004)

Sad and deeply heart-breaking odyssey in which three men (in Boston)who seem to have partially recovered from witnessing one terrible incident as childhood pals are banded together when a loved one is found murdered in a park. The performances here are terrific - especially Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, both of whom have a very good chance of earning Oscar nominations. Also, the direction that director Clint Eastwood (who also handled the musical score) takes the movie in leaves you with second thoughts about what happens in the story. Overall, "Mystic River" makes you think about the decisions that people make in life and how they have to live with it. This movie plays like a serious reality check and has to be one of the best films this year.