Rating: 
Summary: Hugely overrated; poorly written
Review: There are several reasons why MYSTIC RIVER is a deeply flawed film, but perhaps the most important is that the story and characters leave me cold. This is a crime story with pretensions to literature, but most of it is less engaging, and intelligent, than an average episode of Law & Order. The characters change in abrupt ways that are weird and inconsistent. Much of the script is tin-eared. Several scenes don't work or are simply dumb: the one with a character talking about vampires; the bizarre scene in the bedroom just before the parade; an interrogation in which the suspect's "cleverness" is something a 10-year-old could have seen coming (but the cops didn't); a cloying and tedious serial cell phone reconciliation; and so on. Things either come out of leftfield or are obvious, and this makes for a very unpleasant experience. The cast act down to the material, and I can't think of a single genuine person in the whole picture (although Penn's scene at the park was fairly powerful). Eastwood seems to have a habit of getting huge hype for mediocre films: (...)
Rating: 
Summary: The River Hymn (beware slight spoilers in last paragraph)
Review: This film shows Clint's growing maturity as a director. He may actually have surpassed the plot and character development seen in Unforgiven, and his style has become more spare, gone now are some of the distracting detractions of other Eastwood-directed films. He really captures the neighborhood and the river, to an extent where we believe they control place and time respectively for the characters. Both 'places' reinforce the theme that there is no way to escape the demons in one's past.The acting is as exemplary as the directing. Sean Penn's performance really is as good as you've been hearing. He simply nails a couple of extremely challenging scenes, and captures the essence of an extremely complex character. Robbins also does a strong job in a similarly challenging role. But their performances cannot be separated from the complexity given to them by the director and writer. The characters really do transcend simple categorizations like 'good' and 'bad' (in a Hollywood Film, nonetheless!). Bacon, Fishbourne, and Harden also do a commendable job. The one aspect of the production which I found somewhat off-pitch was Eastwood's soundtrack. While the body of the movie is utterly suspenseful and engaging, the ending, as is so often the case, couldn't quite hold it's own. I'll be vague (but here follows a slight SPOILER) , and just allude to the problems I saw: 1) Motivations for murder were poorly developed, 2) Telephone aspect doesn't add up upon reflection, 3) inconceivable the police would end their investigations when they did. And 4) the scene with Penn's wife was very weak and distracting. Clint still struggles with female characters as a rule. Even the brief scene of the girls dancing on the bar was discordant. Despite these negatives, the film retains it's flavor as a uniquely directed, thoughtful and suspenseful character study with a message.
Rating: 
Summary: A brilliant masterpiece in American filmmaking
Review: I just caught the evening matinee show of "Mystic River" at my local movie theater tonight. The complex storyline and gritty cinematography truly is worthy of praise by film critics and moviegoers alike. I haven't read the book yet because I wanted to see the movie first and not ruin the entire movie experience. The three main characters played by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon were so well written, if not well calculated. All three characters were traumatized and still haunted by the abduction of their best friend Dave. Dave never recovered from his abduction by two slimeballs who passed themselves off as cops. The emotional damage of being molested for four days leaves Dave Boyle permanently damaged emotionally and psychologically. Tim Robbins put in a rich performance as the tormented Dave. Although grown up and was married, he was clearly still haunted by the events of his childhood. Who wouldn't? Marcia Gay Harden put in a wonderful performance as Dave's wife Celeste who believed that Dave was responsible for the murder of Jimmy's eldest daughter from his first marriage. I never really took Kevin Bacon very seriously as an actor however I thought this was the best performance as Sean I have seen from Kevin. Laurence Fishbourne (whom I forgot to mention earlier) was equally wonderful as Sean's partner. I thought his performance was more subtle and lo-key which was fine since the focal point of the movie was around Dave, Sean, and Jimmy. Of all the actors/actresses in the film, I thought Sean Penn put in the most compelling performance as the ex-con Jimmy Marcus whose 19 year old daughter is brutally murdered. When he discovers that the body the cops found was his daughter, I immediately felt the hairs on my arms stand up straight. I never got the chills like that in any movie until now. Sean may be a difficult actor but the performances he puts in truly shines, especially in "Mystic River". As a result of his daughter's death, Jimmy is reunited with his old childhood friends Dave and Sean. The death of Jimmy's daughter quickly unravels and immediately has an explosive effect on the three childhood friends. I would have loved to have seen how the death of Jimmy's daughter effected his other daughters but that might have been a distraction from the story. I loved Laura Linney as Jimmy's wife. Her performance was just as subtle as Laurence Fishbourne which is why I like Laura so much, she doesn't overact like most major Hollywood actresses today. Marcia Gay Harden is wonderful in this film. I hope one or both of the actresses are recognized for their performances in "Mystic River" when Oscars roll around. I immensely enjoyed the twists and turns in the film. There wasn't anything about this movie that I didn't like. The cinematography was excellent. It truly fit the mood of the movie. "Mystic River" certainly ranks as one of, if not the best film of 2003. After seeing the film adaptation, I picked up the book today and I look forward to comparing the film and the book.
Rating:
Summary: A Staggeringly Brilliant Achievement in American Film
Review: MYSTIC RIVER ranks with the finest films created in the past few decades. Clint Eastwood directs this harrowing story with a quiet brilliance that cuts right to the message of the film: everyone has an inner darkness which propels us to surprising acts at unexpected times. This film is more Theater than movie in its intensity: the story and character development are primary and the visuals and camera work, though spellbindingly superb, are tools for Eastwood's commitment to finding the psychological core of every aspect of a group of people whose lives intersect in this almost unbearably bitter bit of truth. Three boys playing street hockey on the neighborhood street in the Flats near Boston share a commitment and comraderie that is so strong that it doesn't need dialogue. During a simple act of mini-vandalism (writing their names - Jimmy, Sean, Dave - in the wet cement of their neighborhood sidewalk), one of the three is 'hauled away' by what appears to be a cop but in reality is a pedophile who subjects young Dave to four days of catpture and molestation. Flash to the present and the three bonded boys are now middle-aged men who have little contact with each other and even less in common. The mature Dave is haunted by his past which is never discussed but left to fester as a poisonous nidus. Jimmy is an ex-con who operates a gang-like existance and Sean is a Boston cop whose wife has deserted him for reasons unknown. The three are brought back together by the murder of Jimmy's daughter leading to a series of events and consequences which bring to the surface all the damage inflicted by the encounter that opens the story. The suspense and development of the crime investigation are so razor sharp that revealing the ending would be a crime against those who have not yet experienced this movie. The cast is impeccable and under Eastwood's direction gives some of the most thoroughly realized, brilliant performances on film. Yes, individual performances can be singled out - Timothy Robbins as the mentally fragmented and fragile Dave is extraordinary, Sean Penn as Jimmy gives a performance of passionate power and pain and anguish, Kevin Bacon's understated protrait of Sean the investigating cop is the epitome of subtlety, Marcia Gay Harden shines as Dave's terrified, tremulous wife, and Laura Linney is steely perfection in the small role of Jimmy's embittered yet supportive second wife. All of the cast, including Laurence Fishburne as Sean's cop partner, have successfuly adopted the Boston accent. Every member of the supporting cast is exceptional and Eastwood knows how to pull natural acting from people whose experience is to this point limited. The "look" of the film - that grimy, Mystic River grit atmosphere - is consistently captured by the cinematographer and the dialogue of the peerless screenplay never drops below perfect. This is an emotionally devastating film to watch but, like the performance of a symphony that plumbs the depths of the soul, it is in the end an achievement that deserves a Bravo! - even in the muted silence as you exit the theater.
Rating:
Summary: The very great, Mystic River
Review: I think it's about time The Academy gives Sean Penn the Oscar he's deserved for years. And Mystic River is the film that's going to do it. Sean Penn gives his best performance, and one the best performances I've seen in years. The basic plot, without trying to give much away, is this: Sean Penn is Jimmy, whose daughter is brutally murdered. He gets his men to snoop around, and try and find out who did it, while two detectives, (Laurence Fishburne, and Kevin Bacon), conduct their own investigations as well. The same night, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), comes home, covered in blood. He tells Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden), his wife, he had to protect himself from a mugger, and may have killed him. Nothing is reported in the papers of that, and with time, Celeste becomes suspicious, and later, the detectives do as well. And then the story unfolds. Now that's the basic, basic plotline. Mystic River in an incredible piece of filmmaking. Is it the Best Picture of the year? No, but it's up there. The strongest aspect of the film would be the acting. Every actor, and character is dead on. I can't imagine the film with anyone else. The cinematography does not rely on flashiness to tell it's story, and its subtlety is a real asset to the film. . And the script is just flawless, at least from a first viewing. I was sitting there, knowing what wasn't going to happen, or thinking I knew what wasn't. Or being certain I did know, and I was wrong, and I think that's the best thing a film of this genre can do. Overall, a great film, that I believe has a great future in the box office, and will have great success as we get closer to the awards season.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Story
Review: Mystic River has a briliant story, this film is the best from Clint Eastwood since Unforgiven. With a terrific cast, a terrific director, and a great story, what can go wrong? Three childhood friends grow up together, Sean Penn grows up to have a daughter, Kevin Bacon grows up to be a detective, Tim Robbins grows up to be nothing and a murderer. As Sean Penn's dauther is murdered, we begin to suspect that Tim Robbins may be the suspect. Please go to the theaters to see this one. It'll be a big hit.
Rating:
Summary: masterpiece !!!
Review: i have seen this movie as a preview yesterday in france
the cast is absolutely superb, the plot as thick and dark as you may wish; the movie leaves you breathless, and keeps the tension from the very first minutes the photo is incredibly beautiful, and the camera masterfully directed
one of the best 20 movies in my lifetime, perhaps even top 10
to detail the plot would be a mistake : there is suspense from the very start
but what is the most incredible are the characters, and the way the cast renders them
sean penn is unbelievable, but so are the others spevial mentio to tim robbins
one small warning: do not go there if you are depressed
Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal- Eastwood at his best!
Review: This is one of the most incredible films I have seen in past years. Not only is the story intriguing, but the performances from Sean Penn and Tim Robbins are top notch. This movie contains non-stop suspense until the shocking conclusion. Dennis Lehane's remarkable novel is brought to the screen in all of it's glory. Eastwood is still on top!
Rating:
Summary: So much potential but a huge disappointment
Review: This movie was full of tension and suspense right up to the last 10 minutes. Then the cliched, trite, stupid ending came and completely ruined it. Seriously, I enjoy dark movies like American Beauty but Mystic River is completely overrated. It's as if they tried out a bunch of different endings on some focus groups and picked the one that was the most tidy and that everyone could understand. Nice job Clint. I'm glad I only rented this garbage.
Rating:
Summary: "Sometimes, I think all three of us got in that car..."
Review: Clint Eastwood has directed a masterpiece which is most likely his best work ever. Completely character driven and full of tension, drama and danger, "Mystic River" is a cinematic experience that shouldn't be passed up. For those 130+ minutes, I was intrigued and amazed. It's a film that doesn't rely on action or senseless non-stop violence, but it relies only on the characters. Jimmy, Dave and Sean were best friends when they were kids, but something terrible happened. Dave was abducted by two strangers posing as cops one day, only to be held captive and abused (physically, and by "other" means). He did manage to escape, but the experience has forever scarred him. Years later when all three are grown up, they are reunited when a horrible crime arises--Jimmy's nineteen-year-old daughter ends up murdered. Sean's a cop who is on the case and Dave, still deeply disturbed by the past, is acting very strange and suspiciously. The childhood past that these three had has paved the paths of their lives today, which has set in motion these chain-of-events. It is a sad story that can only end in tragedy that will affect all three in unimaginable ways. On the surface, this seems like a mystery/thriller when it is anything but that. True, it is a murder mystery, but the murder is not what the movie is really about. It's about how the past can never be forgotten and how these three individuals have turned out as a result. You see the characters and how they deal with the tragedy that has befallen them. The mind frame, the course of action, and the need of closure all play a very important role in this tension-filled drama. It's one of those rare films where you could've watched it unfold forever. Clint Eastwood has done a marvelous job of directing this masterpiece of human tragedy and loss. It has to be said. The cast is PHENOMENAL. The cast could've really made this film a complete and utter failure if the wrong people were chosen, but that is not the case here. Everybody was outstanding. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins give it their all in making their roles come to life. I now know why the two won Academy Awards, and they deserve them very much. Kevin Bacon is terrific and comes off more than just a simple cop. Laurence Fishburne was a complete joy to watch, as well. I didn't even know that he was in this until I bought the DVD, and he was brilliant in a stand-out role. What it all comes down to is that the complete cast is terrific. Not one wasted talent can be found in this entire film. There are two versions of this movie you can buy--not counting the widescreen/full screen versions. You can either buy the "bare bones" version that has absolutely no special features whatsoever, or you can buy the "Deluxe Edition," which is three discs. I bought the "Deluxe Edition." While it is a pretty nice package, I wouldn't really call this edition of the movie "Deluxe." Special features included are two making-of featurettes, Charlie Rose interviews with Eastwood, Robbins and Bacon (all separate interviews), two trailers and audio commentary given by Robbins and Bacon. The third disc is a CD that is the soundtrack to the movie with the score composed by Clint Eastwood. Like I said, nice package, but nothing really "Deluxe" about it. It's up to you whether you want to get a version that has no extras in sight or pay a little more for a couple of nice features. "Mystic River" is an unforgettable, heart-breaking and overwhelming film that really can show you how fantastic a movie can be if you have the characters and the emotion. Not everyone will enjoy it, as it isn't action-packed, but for those who love character development are in for a real treat. If you haven't seen it yet, I really recommend checking it out. It's definitely one of the better movies to come out of 2003. It's a shame it had to come out the same year as "Return of the King," otherwise I really think this film could've won a few more awards. -Michael Crane
|
