|
| . |
|
Mystic River 2003 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Clint Eastwood
R, 137 min. (language, violence, existential despair) |
 |
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum, Tom Guiry
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Judie Hoyt, Robert Lorenz
Screenplay: Brian Helgeland
Cinematography: Tom Stern
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Released: 10.08.03 (Limited), 10.17.03 (Wide) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Clint Eastwood's lyrical study of human nature, Mystic River, is easily his best film since Unforgiven, another
masterpiece that dealt with a man's ability to absorb both emotional and physical pain. About twenty minutes into his latest film,
I knew that Eastwood had found his center again, weaving a gripping murder mystery and a community's suffering with grace
and patience. Mystic River is a tour de force of filmmaking, combining flawless, heartfelt performances with an elegantly
constructed narrative. The film, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, eschews melodrama for what many interpret as Greek
tragedy, complete with devastating loss and the desire, whatever the cost, to remedy emotional unrest with personal revenge.
The tone of the film is somber, reflective, moody, yet it is more a study of the human condition in terms of a haunting past that
changed the lives of those it affected. Eastwood finds a remarkable balance between poetical scenes of
grief and suffering and a police procedural that slowly reveals the murderer. The result is unforgettably powerful.
The riveting story revolves around three characters - Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon), and Dave (Tim Robbins) -
that experience a harrowing event in their childhood past that changes their lives forever. One day, after playing street hockey
and writing their names in a nearly-dry cement sidewalk, two men who pose as police officers take Dave in their car and
sexually abuse him for four days. After his escape four days later, the three friends' lives drift apart, although they remain
relatively near each other in the Boston neighborhood.
Thirty years later the three are brought together again by the tragic
murder of Jimmy's daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum), the product of his first marriage - he is currently married to Annabeth (Laura Linney),
and has two other younger daughters. Sean, now a police detective, and his partner, Whitey (Laurence Fishburne), have
been assigned the horrific case. When Dave becomes a prime suspect - he showed up at home late the night Katie was killed
with blood on his hands and a story of mugging a child molestor - his wife, Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden), begins to wrestle
with her fears of Dave's involvement in the crime. And Sean must contend with his own estranged wife's periodic silent
phone calls during his psychologically draining investigation. Meanwhile, Jimmy, a convenient store owner with a violent past,
has formed his own task force to hunt down the perpetrator and carry out his own form of justice.
Mystic River draws its power from richly textured characters that each must confront their own past and present
fears in relation to Katie's murder. Jimmy's own criminal past has, as he puts it, "contributed to your death," and, ironically
we found out that indeed he is indirectly responsible for Katie's demise. The pain and building rage inside Jimmy is apparent
in nearly every scene he's in, whether it be on the back porch in a moving conversation with Dave about his memories of
Katie or in the quiet rapport with Sean's neverending questions surrounding the case. This is a man, we sense, that even
in an act of revenge, will never find solace in his heart again.
Dave is a mess, his spirit both crushed and haunted by the memories of his abduction and abuse. There is clearly no release
or solace for what he deems as a vampire-like soul that has dominated him since that terrible day. His mind is overwhelmed
with feelings of inadequacy to lead a normal life again, all these years later. He lumbers around the neighborhood with
slumped shoulders and depressing gestures that communicate the deep pain that he carries. His relationship with Celeste
has disintegrated because she's unable to reach the recesses of his soul, and that detachment leaves her visibly shaken
in the belief that Dave has committed an unthinkable act.
Sean's pain comes in the form of guilt for Dave's childhood nightmare and a distant wife that has left him. He's drifted apart
from Jimmy and Dave, and now, with the unenviable task of solving a difficult case, is struggling to keep his emotions in check.
His reflections on the matter seem to influence his ability to do his job, something that Whitey mentions at once. But there's
a sense of somber hesitancy in Sean's desire to unravel the mystery, mainly because he's afraid of what he might find.
There's another suspect. Katie's secret boyfriend, Brendan (Thomas Guiry), has plans to take them to Las Vegas to be married
and start a new life together. But Jimmy dislikes him, mainly because of past dealings with Brendan's father. While Whitey
believes Dave is their man, Sean leans in the direction of Brendan despite his seemingly compassionate soul - his mute brother
worships his every move - and a passed polygraph test. Eastwood plays every angle without any real hint at which direction
this mystery will take the audience; he skillfully weaves the story between each character in relation to their own involvement
in the crime. When the conclusion is revealed, he masterfully edits between the tragic actions of both those at fault and
those who believe what they want to believe.
Eastwood's film is visually captivating and effectively communicated with muted colors and an oppressive atmosphere that
reflects the narrative's brooding tone. His camera pans up and down through scenes, building an omniscient presence that
causes the viewer to see the picture in its entirety rather than focusing a too narrow interpretation. Many scenes in the film
resemble other scenes, especially a late scene involving Dave getting into the back of a car owned by Jimmy's thugs, which
immediately parallels Dave's similar treatment in his tragic childhood trauma.
Eastwood is a very patient director, allowing
his gifted actors to affect a scene rather than the other way around. There is very little cutting or flashy cinematic technique
here, just the raw power of an intense screenplay and the characters that make it come to life. In Unforgiven, Eastwood
directed himself in a similar trajectory, the reluctant use of violence as a last resort of the human inability to control our
overpowering emotions and thirst for vengeance. In Mystic River, he uses the cumulative effect of three characters'
emotional instability to reveal humanity's darkest, most despondent state.
The ensemble cast of Mystic River is breathtakingly flawless - it's sure to be the year's best work as a group of
actors. Sean Penn continues to prove why he's his generation's best actor as he portrays Jimmy with the vulnerability and
terrifying calculation that is so powerful that it almost hurts to watch. His inner turmoil is matched only by Tim Robbins'
heartbreaking effort as Dave, a man who finds solace in watching vampire movies in order to communicate with his own
tortured soul. Robbins has never been better. Kevin Bacon is the film's anchor as the cop who must stay strong for
everyone. And the supporting cast, led by a moving performance by Marcia Gay Harden and a Lady MacBeth-like
resilience of Laura Linney, brings stability and balance to an already stellar cast. This is probably as fine an acting film as
one will ever encounter; multiple Oscar nominations are almost a given here.
Films like Mystic River are so rare that they stand out as examples of how motion pictures can affect our lives.
Eastwood has combined the best elements of mystery and character study into one unforgettable film. Because he's willing
to allow the viewer to soak up the film's every scene without manipulation or mawkish melodrama, his impressive directorial
career has yet another masterwork on its resume. Mystic River is one of those films that stays with the viewer for a long
time afterward, a dizzying commentary on how human grief and violence is separated by the thinnest of margins and how
evil has longlasting effects on society.
© 2003 Jonathan Cornwell
|
|
 |
 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
© 2000 - present ReelCriticReviews
All movie pictures are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective holders
Their use on this site is for informational purposes only and does not imply ownership
|
