Mystic River
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne.
When you get to the heart of it, Mystic River is a great murder mystery with clues, red herrings and an unexpected resolution. The thing that makes Mystic River better than your average midday matinee murder mystery is the almost flawless performances by its lead actors.
Mystic River begins with three boys, Jimmy, Sean and Dave, playing in the street in 1960s Boston, on the poor side of town. It’s a normal day until an horrific incident occurs, changing all of them forever. The two symbols of this incident, a half written name in wet cement, and a face framed in the back window of a car as it drives away, are repeated throughout the film. Symbols of a life cut short, and the last wistful look over our shoulders when we’re leaving something precious behind us.
Cut from 1960s Boston to present day. All the boys have grown up, but are thrown together by the tragic murder of a local girl, daughter of Jimmy Markham (Penn). Sean (Bacon) is now a seasoned cop who finds himself heading the investigation. Dave (Robbins) still lives in the neighbourhood and the death of his friend’s daughter draws him closer to his once boyhood friends Jimmy and Sean.
The tragedy in all of their lives colours the way they look at the world and treat each other. Suspicion and the need for retribution push all of the characters to make decisions that they may regret, as the story and the investigation slowly unfold to a climactic resolution of both the case and the their childhood fears and suspicions.
Mystic River’s faults become apparent over the latté afterwards when certain elements of the film start to become less convincing in the light of day. However, if you love a good murder mystery, Mystic River does not disappoint.
Esther
