Stellar stuff from Penn and Robbins (Mystic River (DVD))

Member Name: cswann

Product:	Mystic River (DVD)
Date:	22/06/04 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great acting

Disadvantages: On the long side, The story itself isn't resolved that well

Clint Eastwood has made some pretty good films, as a director ? from as far back as ?High Plains Drifter? in the 70s, and most especially ?The Unforgiven?.
?Mystic River? is the best film he?s made since ?The Bridges of Madison County?, and that was 8 years ago, so perhaps it?s about time. Bridges was a gentle kind of movie, and this one has next to nothing in common with it, but it?s definitely a return to form. ?Mystic River? is a quite dark, even unforgiving, tale.
Clint Eastwood, good actor that he is, no longer appears in his own movies as a matter of course, and he isn?t in this one himself.
And there?s no need for him to be either ? the cast here is excellent ? Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins ? you couldn?t really ask for a better cast.

The story of ?Mystic River? is taken from Dennis Lehane?s novel, although there are a few alterations to it.
No one can ever say that seeing the film is the same as reading the book, so don?t worry too much about that, and if you have read it try to forget you ever did. In any case, I hadn?t read the book so had no preconceptions.
The screenplay is by Brian Helgeland (also responsible for ?LA Confidential?).
Apparently Eastwood?s take on the novel is that fate is something you can?t alter ? hence all those shots of the sky, and whatever?s up there must be looking down on the helpless human beings below.

It?s all about three Boston men, who we first meet as 11 year old boys, playing in the street. There?s a real sense of impending doom about everything ? the way it?s filmed, the ominous ball falling into the sewer (recalling Stephen King?s ?It?), the way Dave, writing his name in the sidewalk doesn?t get finish it off? The letters DA are all he manages.
They wer
e all permanently by an incident in their childhood ? weren?t we all told never to get in a car with a stranger?
?
Then we see them as adults.
Dave is played by Tim Robbins. He?s now very introvert, and we are shown that this is probably entirely due to his experience as a boy. He seems to be a nice guy, though.
Sean, the sensible one, is played by Kevin Bacon
Jimmy, the hard nut, is played by Sean Penn.
They all had different backgrounds, and they haven?t all stayed friends, and in this it all seems very true to life and believable. Each of them is easily identifiable from their portrayal as a child ? the hellraiser is still pretty much a hellraiser, and so on. Whether that?s exactly true to life, I?m not sure, but it?s a standard movie thing.

They all still live in the same neighbourhood, and their paths cross again. One because he?s a cop investigating the disappearance of a girl; one because he?s that girl?s father. All a bit too convenient, and highly coincidental.
But that aside, it?s a great movie.

The acting is brilliant ? and both Penn and Robbins were justifiably awarded an Oscar each. Although both were also nominated for BAFTA?s, neither got one in the end - why Penn, in particular, should have lost out to Bill Murray for ?Lost in Translation?, I?ll never know, but that?s by the by.
It?s hard to say whether Penn or Robbins is the best, and it doesn?t matter ? both excellent. The action allows them to show a huge range of emotions, especially Penn, who is superb through his character?s anger his frustration, his grief.

The supporting actors are very good, although most of them don?t get much chance to do a lot. Laurence Fishburne (?The Matrix?) plays Bacon?s sidekick.
The female roles are not
that wonderful, probably more because of the plot concentrating on the main three characters. Laura Linney (?Tales of the City? ?Love Actually?) is Annabeth, Penn?s wife, but she isn?t even in the movie very much.
Marcia Gay Harden (recently seen in ?Mona Lisa Smile?) plays Robbins? wife.

Overall, I?d definitely recommend this movie. The downsides?
They could have given it a better title, I suppose, but then they were following the novel there.
At 137 minutes, it?s a little long, but this is something you come to expect with Eastwood?s films, and on balance it?s not too much.

The resolution of the plot is probably something most people will see coming a mile off, but the main reason to go and see ?Mystic River? is the suspense, and the excellent acting.

Not available on video
DVD available from amazon.co.uk for £10.99

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