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Mystic River - Special 3-Disc Edition Customer Reviews (70 - 72 of 82 Reviews)

Moving and Powerful film!!
Mystic River is a film set in Boston that tells the story of three childhood friends Jimmy Marcus ( Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), and Sean Devine ( Kevin Bacon). As time passes the three friends drift apart, but are unexpectedly reunited after Jimmy's daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum)is murdered. Sean is now a police detective and is assigned to head the investigation along with his partner Whitey Powers ( Laurence Fishburne). The main suspect in the murder is Jimmy and Shawn's friend Dave, because he came home the night of the murder covered in blood spinning a half baked story about being attacked by mugger. However, as the film progresses, the question of Dave's guilt comes more and more into question. Now it is up to Shawn to find the murderer and to keep Jimmy from gaining revenge for his daughter's death.

In my opinion, Mystic River is the best film of 2003. I was literally blown away at how good this film turned out to be. Clint Eastwood shows once again that he is an amazing director. Mystic River is definately his best film since Unforgiven. The reason Mystic River is so great, is because the mystery of the killer is extremely well done. Tim Robbins did an excellent job as Dave and deserved his academy award for best supporting actor. His actions throughout the film are extremely questionable, but you are never quite sure if he is the killer. When the killer is finally revealed, it will shock you. Sean Penn gave one of the best performances I have seen in a while. His character Jimmy is a hardened ex-con who is attempting to lead an honest life. But the murder of his daughter pushes him towards his old lifestyle. Penn's performance was filled with emotion and intensity. The scene where he learns about his daughter's death will blow you away. Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney are all great in their roles as well.

Mystic River is a well thought out and emotional murder mystery. The entire cast is phenomenal, and the ending is extremely satisfying. It is a shame that Mystic River did not beat Return of the King for best picture, because even though Return of the King was a good movie, I personally thought that Mystic River was a better film.

A solid 5 stars...

Yes, a Classic film. No Doubt about it.
This was the best movie of 2003. I do feel that Lord of the Rings was very good also, but this movie should have won best picture and best screenplay (adaptation). Lord of the Rings will be classic entertainment and will be to my kids what Star Wars was for me. However, this will be considered a classic work of art in cinema. Eastwood is right on the mark with this movie. The characters are devious and wonderful, tragic and beautiful. While the story is quite depressing and may not be everyone's cup of tea, you still cannot deny the quality of this film.

A stunning film based on a tragic novel.
Clint Eastwood's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's wrenching best-seller, "Mystic River," is a remarkable achievement. Having read the book shortly before seeing the movie, I was impressed with Eastwood's faithfulness to the letter and spirit of Lehane's story.

Sean Penn plays Jimmy Markham (Marcus in the book), a small time hood who did a stint in prison almost two decades earlier. Jimmy now owns a grocery store, is a loving family man, and seems to have given up his criminal ways. As a child, Jimmy was a close friend of Sean Devine, who grew up to become a homicide detective, and Dave Boyle, played by the wonderful Tim Robbins. Boyle endured a terrible trauma as a child, and he is tortured by horrifying thoughts that he can never escape. When Jimmy's nineteen-year-old daughter, Katie, is found brutally murdered, Sean investigates with his partner, played by Laurence Fishburne, and the lives of the three old friends intersect once again.

The stellar cast of "Mystic River" is amazingly effective. Each actor completely inhabits his or her character. Sean Penn's performance is brutal and heart-rending, and Tim Robbins convincingly plays a man on the brink of madness. Supporting these fine actors are Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden, as Jimmy's and Dave's wives.

Eastwood wisely shot his film on the streets of Boston, and Tom Stern's atmospheric and skillful cinematography contribute to the film's realistic and dramatic look. "Mystic River" is a powerful drama about how desperate people react when they are under tremendous emotional pressure. This mythic tragedy proves Faulkner's dictum, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." The mistakes we make and the injuries that we suffer are always with us in one way or another. Kudos to Eastwood and his fine cast and crew on making an exceptional film.

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