Of all the Hollywood contrivity

Rating: 5/10 (29 September 2011)

Mystic River was a knockout through the first third, pretty good through the next third, until turning toward an ending that has little impact. The performances are top notch, the directing is great, but the story could use some work. The twist at the end is not even close to as powerful as it should be. It is all part of movie magic, but it does not have impact here and does not support the film' bleak sense of realism. when it comes down to it, you kind of wish you had not have spent two hours watching this story unfold. Yet if you allow films to take you away and care little for the realism of stories, you should enjoy it. All I am saying is this, a bleak, realistic Boston drama like this would benefit best for realistic plot elements, rather than the contrived the film seems to negotiate for.