Best movie ever!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A devastating tale of three friends separated by a tragedy & reunited by another, Mystic River finds Clint Eastwood tackling the themes of friendship, loss, pain & revenge in this slow-burn mystery but the film's real highlight is the outstanding inputs from its ensemble.The story of Mystic River follows three men who were childhood friends once but have grown distant over the years. Their paths cross each other once again when one of them has a family tragedy, the investigation of which leads to conclusions that shatter each of their lives.Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film is another solid effort from the actor-turned-director as he puts more emphasis on the characters at hand than other elements, which in turn gives the actors more room to make their mark. Its period setting & controlled camerawork add to the mood & mystery but the film still wavers in the middle.Performances are its strongest suit, for Sean Penn, Tim Robbins & Kevin Bacon are absolutely brilliant in their given roles and their chemistry with each other carries that required sense of a history. Penn delivers the finest performance of the three and is expertly supported by Robbins whose troubling portrait of a man still being haunted by his disturbing past leaves a solid impression of its own.On an overall scale, Mystic River is undoubtedly amongst Clint Eastwood's better directorial efforts and is by all means a skilfully crafted & finely narrated example of its genre but it could've made an even better impression with a tighter editing. Also, what Penn & Robbins manage to accomplish with their respective characters here pretty much overshadows everything else. And for that alone, Mystic River is worth a shot.

One thing is certain, this film would not have passed muster under the Production Code of the 1930's and 40's. Not only does it show someone getting away with murder, but it also involves a lawful authority complicit in the knowledge that a former childhood friend did it. I thought this was a masterfully constructed story until it got to those final revelations. One might consider all the interconnected relationships between the various characters to be stretched beyond credibility, but while the story was taking place none of it seemed forced. The opening sequence with the three principals as young boys went a long way to explain the emotional pain Davey Boyle (Tim Robbins) went through his entire life. For his own wife (Marcia Gay Harden) to believe that Davey killed Jimmy Markum's (Sean Penn) daughter demonstrates how fragile their own relationship had become. What bothered me about the story were twofold. When Jimmy actually admits to his wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) that he killed Davey - first, I couldn't believe he did that, and second, her response was to make him feel better about it. No revulsion, no disgust, it was simply out of character to a normal human reaction for that kind of admission. The other problem was Sean Devine's (Kevin bacon) reaction as a police detective. One can only assume, because no clear motivation was offered, that Sean felt Jimmy had gone through enough with the death of his daughter, and at a time he was dealing with his own marital problems. But that really doesn't cut it. His gun-hand gesture to Jimmy at the community parade was really bizarre, I just don't know how to process that.So this may not have been a clear directorial win for Clint Eastwood, but it was a valiant try. Not being a fan of Penn or Robbins, I can appreciate the Oscar wins in their respective categories, I thought they were well deserved. I just would have hoped for a little more thought put into the final outcome to temper the crimes committed with a more appropriate lawful resolution. You don't need a Production Code to convince viewers that there was something off-kilter with the way things turned out.

This is one of these movies that has a smooth lines and transitions throughout the whole plot. It also reflects the hidden reality of a rural Boston and how they "resolve" their issues. What I like more about it is that it touched the topic of pedophilia, which is very common nowadays. What even made it more interesting is the closeness between the people involved since it is between a group of friends where this plot unfolds, and also the instinct of betrayal.

The plot is twisted and implausible to the point where the movie becomes boring and disappointing. I find no trace of sanity or nobility, no beauty, no hint of redemption for any of the characters throughout a movie that unsuccessfully attempts to be profound and originally dramatic.But it's impossible to admire any of the characters, and the ones that perhaps may deserve compassion, are treated unjustly, disrespectfully and grotesquely. Indeed there is something repulsive and disquietingly grotesque behind the moral premises of the story. One perhaps could forgive the inadequacy of such amorality in a story where haphazardness looks plausible, natural, spontaneous and uncontrived. But in such an absurd and unbelievable story one can only conclude that the dramatist is sick, or perhaps just gullibly read too much of Nietzsche.