00s Movie Review - Mystic River

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum

Description: With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon) are reunited by circumstance when one has a family tragedy.

Review: How do you recognize a good movie? A tough question if you ask me. But the people who watched “Mystic River” know that this is an example of a very good movie. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, managed to win several Academy Awards. It might surprise you, because the story isn’t new and the cast isn’t filled with the biggest Hollywood names. “Mystic River” is a very strong movie that deserves every credit it gets.
The movie starts with three kids, Jimmy, Dave and Sean. They are inseparable and like to hang out together on the streets of Boston. Their bond changes when Dave is taken by a strange man, who pretends he’s a cop. When Dave returns he is traumatized. Years later the three friends reunite, when Jimmy’s daughter is found dead. Jimmy wants revenge and wants to find the person responsible.
Like I stated before, the story doesn’t sound that special. And the main characters don’t seem impressive at first either. Kevin Bacon, as Sean, is a cop trying to have a neutral view on the murder case. And Sean Penn, as Jimmy, plays a man with a temper and a criminal past who has bettered his life. Tim Robbins plays the mysterious looking Dave, who is still trying to deal with his childhood trauma. The way it was all executed is true craftsmanship. Clint Eastwood made this movie with lots of precision, love, intensity and integrity, which center the characters and not the story. The plot is done well, but aren’t the center of our attention. Eastwood focuses especially on the  irreparable friendship and what it once was. And with a cast of talented actors it gives us an anguishing movie experience. 
Eastwood gives his actor room to exploit and bring their characters to life. Sean Penn proofs why he is one of the best, what a great performance. Tim Robbins plays a remarkable role as well. His body language and facial expression sometimes tell us more than the actual words that come out of his mouth. His performance is very believable and even thinking about it gives me goose bumps.  Laura Linney and especially Marcia Gay Harden show us that they can stand tall in a movie filled with strong male actors.
“Mystic River” is a beautiful, sensitive character profile about friendship, pain and human shortcomings. Clint Eastwood deliverd one of his best movies and one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5