one coincidence after the other

Rating: Null/10 (25 July 2005)

After writing their names in a slice of freshly laid cement in their working-class neighborhood, eleven-year olds Sean Devine, Jimmy Markham, and Dave Boyle are caught by two men who claim to be policemen. Dave is ordered into their car so they can drive him home. After four days of sexual abuse, he escapes his captors, but his life is set on a wayward course forever.
Twenty-five years later, the three are no longer friends. Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a homicide detective experiencing personal problems with his pregnant wife who has walked out on him. Jimmy (Sean Penn) has spent some time in prison for robberies and is trying to live a normal life running a grocery store. He is married to his second wife, Annabeth (Laura Linney), and has three daughters. Dave (Tim Robbins) is married to Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) and has a young son. He has trouble keeping jobs and struggles with a "dark side" emerging from his abduction.
The performances are all good. Sean Penn filling out the production with a murky big-dangerous-hearted performance. Kevin Bacon anchoring with stability and level-headedness. Robbins performance is also good. However, the film experiences one coincidence after the other, manipulating its audiences rather heavy-handedly toward a rather predictable climax, and vague resolution. For just one example, isn't it rather surprising that for such a high profile case, the detective in charge just happens to be Jimmy's old friend?