the end of innocence and optimism

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2005)

The fact that "Mystic River" came out in 2003, when I was 19, is analogous to the release of "A Clockwork Orange" in 1971, when my parents were 19. Both years were part of a dissolution of the optimism that had gotten built up during the previous decades, and the affirmation of a new era of cynicism (from the Vietnam War in 1971, from the Iraq War in 2003). The respective movies showed this.
"Mystic River" deals with the metaphorical transfer of evil to the next generation. It starts when Boston friends Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle are writing their names in wet cement, and some men kidnap Dave. Many years later, after all three are grown up (played by Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins, respectively), they are still trying to get over the incident. But then tragedy strikes, and all of their assumptions about life - and possibly each other - are suddenly thrown into question.
I should remind you that this is not an easy movie to watch. The intensity of Sean Penn's Oscar-winning performance makes you feel like there's a jackhammer in your stomach. It's that powerful. With "Mystic River", Clint Eastwood may have turned out his best movie ever, although "Million Dollar Baby" is also a masterpiece. See this movie at all costs...if you can handle some heavy subject matter.