'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enou...
'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enough to wish to continue to read my ramblings, you can find me on Dooyoo under the user name plipplop. See you around! :P
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Whilst three young friends are playing on the sidewalk one afternoon, they spot some newly laid cement and decide to carve their names into it. Just as the third boy (Dave) is adding his name to the trophy, a car pulls up alongside them and a man who appears to be a policeman steps out and calls over to them. Apparently angry at their vandalism of municipal property, he asks each of them where they live and when Dave advises that he lives on a different street, he tells the boy to get in the car so that they can all go and speak to his mother about what he has done. Initially reluctant to do so, the frightened boy eventually gives in, but as the car drives away and he watches them from the rear window, his two friends know that something is terribly wrong.
Years later, the three men have gone separate ways, but still live in the same neighbourhood. Dave is married with a young son. Sean Devine is now a police detective and Jimmy Marcus now runs his own convenience store. The men have no contact with one another until a fateful night when tragedy reunites them all over again. Jimmy’s daughter has gone missing. Sean is the policeman investigating the case and Dave may be one of the last people to have seen the girl alive. As old ghosts start to haunt the three men again, shocking events will unfold. Where was the girl going? Why did she have airline tickets packed in a secret suitcase? But more importantly, why did Dave come home that night in a distressed state with blood on his hands and clothes? The city
of the mystic river holds all the answers and a few more secrets besides.
As you’ve probably gathered, Mystic River is not a happy tale. Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film is a dark and sombre tale about justice, retribution and fate. If you like happy endings, then it will come as no surprise to find that Mystic River is probably NOT the film for you.
So what’s it all about? Well, the whole film has a distinctly Stephen King feel to it. Mr King has a definite thing for stories about how childhood events that have an impact on adult lives and that’s exactly what happens in Mystic River. Dave’s abduction as a child is shown as a singularly very shocking event. The image of the car pulling away with the frightened young boy peering from the rear windshield is extremely powerful, but when the action then shifts to adulthood, you are at once curious as to what will happen next. Dave is, not surprisingly, terribly affected by the trauma, but we clearly see that he isn’t the only one. Many times throughout the film the different men ask each other how things could have been different if they were the ones who had stepped into that car. And this is the essence of Mystic River.
Mystic River is what you might call a “domino story”. The story is woven such that each event knocks onto the next and before you know it, a fully blown chain reaction is underway. The analogy may be fairly simple, but we all know that life certainly isn’t, and Mystic River never tries to suggest that it is. In life, right and wrong are never easily defined and the events in the film amply demonstrate how this becomes the case. The audience doesn’t know who to trust any more than the characters in the film itself.
Mystic River certainly isn’t an exciting film – I could never describe this as a thriller because there simply isn’t enough action. Rather like Eastwood’s last directorial outing Blood Works, the events seem to shuffle and stumble along rather than stride or run. The film is heavy with dialogue and understandably emotional scenes, and I think it is probably this that has attracted some of the award attention (Sean Penn won the Oscar for best actor with his portrayal of Jimmy Marcus). At over two hours in length, I thought that Mystic River was unnecessarily lengthy and could probably have had more dramatic impact had the film been edited in places. Certainly, the director has tried to use time and suspense to impose a feeling of dread, but this doesn’t always work and I did find my concentration starting to slip as the film progressed.
Whilst the cast is impressive and accomplished, I’m not sure that any of the performances really deserved the accolades that they have received. As Jimmy, Sean Penn is emotional and forthright but I have to say that I often felt that he rather over-acted. His grief was at times hysterical and I never felt that this was in keeping with his basic character. He simply didn’t make me believe in the part at all. Kevin Bacon (Sean) had a similar effect on me and seemed to generally be going through the motions. I’ve always thought that Bacon works best as a bad guy and he seems to relish such roles far more himself. Tim Robbins is fairly believable as the emotionally shattered Dave, but even he never quite gets things right. At times, Dave seems to be disabled rather than damaged, but he does switch character extremely convincingly. One of the most interesting characters for me was Jimmy’s wife, Annabeth (played by Laura Linney). It isn’t until the very end of the film that she really shows her true colours and she is probably the most memorable figure in the whole film.
The lack of action in Mystic River means that many viewers will find the whole thing a little dull. I was rather intrigued by it and knowing very little of what it was actually about before I went to see it, I think I appreciated it a bit more. It’s a very interesting character-based drama, but it doesn’t really deserve the attention and admiration that the press seems to be lavishing it with. The film is rated 15 for its strong language and some scenes of violence, but it is more the concept of the film that is disturbing as opposed to the content. Had this been a Stephen King film, I can’t help thinking that things would have twisted and turned rather more than they did – which wouldn’t necessarily have been a bad thing.
Recommended – but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is award deserving material.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: Michael Winterbottom - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri, Jeanne Balibar
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
This was a good, well written review but I have to disagree with some of the things said. I do own a copy of this dvd and have watched it recently. I felt the review was more negative than positive and might put people off from seeing this movie. The comments made about the acting were unfair. I for one don't think Sean Penn over acted. The acting from all the cast was just outstanding, so in my opinion the awards were justified. I do agree that the tone of the movie is somewhat dark and sombre, but it's still a very entertaining story. The story held my attention throughout and at times I found it very moving and gripping. I do agree that it was a little overlong and some scenes dragged on a bit. I also found the ending somewhat unsettling, as it's not how I expected things to turn out. Clint Eastwood never makes a bad movie and as a director he has to be one of the best. If you're a Clint Eastwood fan, disregard the negative comments because you're sure to enjoy this movie. Just don't expect a happy satisfactory ending.
fnorth 08.06.2005 20:08
I haven't seen this yet, i bought it today, so I'll probably watch it this weekend. Fiona -x-x-
LIZKEMPO 02.08.2004 13:46
watched last night and really enjoyed it, felt slightly unsatisfoed that the girls muderer was the two kids though!
Superior acting, writing and direction are on impressive display in the ... more
Oscar-winningMystic River, Clint Eastwood's 24th directorial outing and one of the finest films of 2003. Sharply adapted byLA ConfidentialOscar-winner Brian Helgeland from the nove...
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Superior acting, writing and direction are on impressive display in the ... more
Oscar-winningMystic River, Clint Eastwood's 24th directorial outing and one of the finest films of 2003. Sharply adapted byLA ConfidentialOscar-winner Brian Helgeland from the nove...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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![Mystic River [2003] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78511368.jpg "Mystic River [2003] [DVD]")
Mar 8th, 2004
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