Disappointed

Rating: Null/10 (8 June 2004)

I have been a fan of Mr. Eastwood for some time - and have followed his directing career with interest.
For me, Mystic River was at best, labored and without redemption.
Are we to take from this film that in life, those that are weaker, have been abused or are not cruel are destined to fall foul of those that are cruel, did the abusing and consider themselves strong simply because they are violent - and accept that as OK?
The performances were, I thought on the whole, very good. The story however, lacked the soul or spirit of the characters it attempted to portray.
The ending did nothing more than further my belief that genuine attempts at looking at real life fall short when the director is trying to preach - although I'm still scratching my head and wondering what it is that Mr. Eastwood is trying to sell. Too long, no soul - sloppy and unbelievable ending. 4/10