Mystic River (2003) ***

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 2004)

MYSTIC RIVER is one of those movies that perplexes me as far as how I'd approach commenting on it. The intriguing story grabbed my attention and rarely left my mind wandering off. While it's a well-crafted piece of work and features terrific performances from everyone in the cast (with Tim Robbins being the standout, followed by the always effective Sean Penn), it wasn't without its flaws. All things considered, I'd rate it as a good film, but not an excellent one. It's got a thick feeling of depression and drab misery to it which permeates, and while this is something I'd call a virtue to this particular story I'd also have to say it lingers too long. At something around 138 minutes in length, it's one of those pictures which may have benefited from a shorter running time.
I also had a bit of trouble with the outcome of the movie, unfortunately. In particular, the Sean Penn character's lack of any real redemption, comeuppance or anything, really, after he learns what he did. It's not that I didn't "believe" the character could be so callous or indifferent, but that it didn't prove rewarding to me and ruined what might have been a great film. It felt to me as if there was something unresolved after all was said and done. *** out of ****