pretty much flawless

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

This wonderful drama-mystery movie shows how childhood trauma can affect adult lives. An excellent cast (Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney) directed by the great Clint Eastwood makes all the story real and genuine; the core of "Mystic River" is neither the gradual killer identification, nor the legal resolution to the crime, that would make it an ordinary thriller. Rather it's a dark mournful tale perfectly describing childhood trauma and very strong violence scenes according to the philosophy "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". What I've been surprised at is seeing Annabeth (Laura Linney) agreeing her husband tribalism in the finale,
maybe giving the message that violence, even the worst, is not only a matter of men.