A Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2004)

Recently I was asked what "Mystic River" was about. I couldn't really say. If I tried to get in to all the plot intricacies it would take me a half hour to tell the basic storyline, but otherwise there was no way to give a real feel for the movie. "You have to watch it," I said. I think this movie is on so many levels and with so much happening, a simple little summary doesn't do the film justice.
Sean Penn, while I'm not completely convinced deserved an Oscar, did a wonderful job portraying the angst and desperation that Jimmy Markum feels. Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins are spectacular in their supporting roles. The cinematography from director Clint Eastwood is beautiful and the story is great. There are so many things to like about this film that I found it impossible to not love it.
The film is centered around three friends. We see them in the movie's opening as boys playing street hockey in Boston. Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins) are just being boys when a man posing as a policeman comes and takes Dave away. Dave is left in a cellar with only a sleeping bag and abused for who knows how long until he can escape. When Dave returns to the neighborhood one on-looker refers to him as "damaged goods."
Twenty five years later all three men still live in Boston, but their lives have taken them in different directions. It takes a tragic event to bring them back together, when Jimmy's daughter is found dead. Sean, now a cop, is working on the case and Dave, one of only a few people to see Jimmy's daughter that fateful night, is a prime suspect.
Kevin Bacon does a great job portraying Sean, who doesn't let anyone into the inner turmoil of his life. Occasionally you get a glimpse in, but that is it. He pushes people away, including his wife. Dave is portrayed by Tim Robbins who is able to play Dave perfectly. Dave seems to have a burden on him at all times. A man who was robbed of his childhood, it never seems as if Dave is always there. Robbins is able to show how Dave is in a different world from everyone else. He plays wiffleball with his son every day, and his son is the only one who doesn't see him as damaged.
Overall this is a great film. It's not typical Hollywood happy endings and makes you think long after the credits roll.
9 out of 10.