Happy Ending?

Rating: 10/10 (11 June 2009)

Happy Ending?
In the movie Mystic River the characters are shown as children and the three of them are friends. The movie opens up with them playing together and then one of them, Jimmy, writes his name in the wet cement and tells his companions, Sean, and Dave, to do the same. Sean writes his name, and then Dave goes to do the same but only gets to write the "D" and "A" when some men interrupt them. The men act as officers and take Dave away in their car. Unbeknownst to the two boys that Dave has been kidnapped. After four days Dave escapes his kidnappers and returns home. He is a changed boy that doesn't play with Sean or Jimmy anymore. The years go by and Dave is married to Jimmy's wife's cousin and has a son. Jimmy is also married and has three daughters. Sean also is married but his wife has left him taking their baby daughter.
One Saturday Jimmy's eldest daughter, Katie, tells her father that she is going out with her friends later. Jimmy tells her to be home early because she has to be present for her younger sister's first communion, and she agrees. Drunk and barhopping with her friends Katie is seen at one bar by Dave. Dave comes home covered and blood and Kate is found dead the next morning. Katie was planning to run away with her boyfriend, Brenden, and get married in Vegas but a killer or killers cut her plans short. The investigation begins to find out who killed Katie as Sean takes over this investigation. Nonetheless, Jimmy searches for answers on his own with the help of his friends.
I liked the plot of the movie; it kept me on the edge of my seat. I even started to get nervous about the character Dave. I really felt sympathy for Dave because of his childhood trauma and later when his wife and Jimmy didn't believe his story. I have to admit Dave grew on me, and so did his son. I think the last scene was shot very well. When Dave's son is riding the parade float and his mother is trying to get his attention. I think that scene really captured the bittersweet mood of the movie.
What I didn't like was the ending. It was so strange to see that the people in both Katie and Dave's life just moved on like nothing had happened. I wondered how much time had lapsed from the last time Sean and Jimmy talked to the day of the parade. I didn't like not knowing some tiny details like, if Brenden's brother could speak, and if Dave's family was OK and if Sean stopped giving money to Brenden's family and began giving it to Dave's family. Also the effects used I thought were at times too dark to actually see anything.
Sean Penn did very nicely acting as Jimmy. I almost came to see him only as Jimmy, and then I remembered he was also in I Am Sam and I liked his character in that movie also. He was very convincing in both films. I think that the audiences will have a love/hate affair with Jimmy, because they will see his sincerity but will also see his flaws that have been magnified to block his good nature. The character of Sean seemed to be a very compassionate man despite his profession of being a homicide detective. To me he was too naïve as he waited for his runaway wife's calls and eventual return. Dave was portrayed very well I truly did feel his pain because he expressed it with much remorse.
I did like this film it was a plot-twisting portrayal of crimes committed in neighborhoods. As I said before I became nervous at the point of the climax, almost wanting to yell at Jimmy to stop him. That point was really took my breath away. I really think that audiences would and will grow on this film because it is just so unpredictable. Clint Eastwood knew what he was doing with this movie. His direction of scenes flowed well throughout the screening. I give this film a five out of five.