A young woman is killed, and three childhood boys with a dark spot in their history come together again in the marvelous, actor-driven Mystic River.

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2003)

Mystic River was a borderline-brilliant piece of American cinema. The acting performances were nothing less than stellar. Every time Sean Penn entered, as much as I hated it, I felt the pain of his position. Penn was so wonderful I thought the performance was hard to watch, and despite the aggressive nature in the performance, it wasn't overdone at all. To say he deserves a glance from the Academy is greatly understating what I just witnessed. While the other two male stars are overshadowed by Penn, Bacon and Robbins's work in Mystic River should not be shrugged off. You can really feel for Bacon, although his character is well-distanced from the current murder, the dealings with his silent, estranged wife gives more dimensions that the veteran Bacon is easily able to handle; and does. While Robbins at times seems a little contrived, the audience doesn't know whether to sympathize or fear this man that has a continual pile of evidence overshadowing any semblance of innocence he has left. I remember one specific seen when Dave(Robbins) is being interrogated and asks Sean(Bacon) for a Sprite. Everyone in the theater laughed, it was funny, but the look Robbins gave sent chills through me. Other notable performances were Marcia Gay Harden as the housewife struggling with her loyalty to her husband, and the near obviousness of Dave being a murderer. And Tom Guiry, the boy whom I haven't seen since The Sandlot, delivers a heart-wrenching performance as the dead Katie's fiancee.
While Clint Eastwood seemed to do comparably less work than in his previous projects, it worked perfectly. The largely uncomplicated shot work did wonders to bring out the glamor-void in working-class Boston. And on occasion, Eastwood throws in a shot that would blindside the viewer (overhead shot of Penn in the middle of police after learning of his daughter).
The only thing saving this movie from being completely brilliant is the ending. Without giving it away I would just like to say this: I wish Helgeland would have expanded on why exactly it was done. I thought the reasoning was a little weak.
Mystic River is a wonderful movie thankfully set in parts other than what we've usually come to expect (NY, LA, Space). And the incredible actor-driven film will force moviegoers to listen intently to the wonderful banter and not blankly stare at large explosions. If you have spare time, and even if you don't, Mystic River is well-worth the price of admission.