Mystic River (2003)

Editor's Note In Clint Eastwood's MYSTIC RIVER, a murder mystery in South Boston unites three men who have been friends since childhood. Grippingly powerful performances from the entire cast--Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, and Laura Linney--combined with gritty photography, an exceptionally emotional script, and a convincing working-class Boston setting make this film one of Eastwood's most consistent and penetrating works. Though they live in the same houses where they grew up, Jimmy (Penn), Dave (Robbins), and Sean (Bacon) have drifted apart over time. Their distance is due to a disturbing and violent episode that occurred when they were children. Even now, as adults married with kids, they have never managed to overcome their fear and guilt about what happened. Dave and his wife (Harden) still live next door to Jimmy, who is married to a tough-sexy blond (Linney) and has three daughters. When Jimmy's 19-year-old girl is murdered, he turns to Sean, who works as a policeman, and delivers an ultimatum: find the killer fast or I'll go after him myself. Little do they know, the culprit is the last person they'd ever suspect.

	Laurence Fishburne
	Tim Robbins
	Kevin Bacon
	Sean Penn
	Marcia Gay Harden
	Laura Linney
	Tom Stern - Director of Photography
	Lennie Niehaus - Composer
	Clint Eastwood - Producer
	Judie G. Hoyt - Producer
	Brian Helgeland - Screenwriter
	Clint Eastwood - Music
	Bruce Berman - Executive Producer
	Dennis Lehane - Source Writer
	Robert Lorenz - Producer
	Clint Eastwood - Director

Rolling Stone
"...MYSTIC RIVER is a dark masterpiece that can stand with UNFORGIVEN. It takes a piece out of you..." 10/16/2003 p.94

Entertainment Weekly
"...Magnificent....Eastwood directs MYSTIC RIVER with an invigorated grace and gravitas. This is a true American beauty of a movie..." 10/10/2003 p.97-8

Premiere
"...The real strength of MYSTIC RIVER is what's underneath the story -- the hearts and souls of the characters which are fearlessly and thoroughly plumbed by the cast..." 11/01/2003 p.22-4

Total Film
"...Brian Hegeland's script and Eastwood's controlled direction strike just the right balance, giving the actors room to work -- Penn's brimming rage is terrifying, his pain heartbreaking..." 11/01/2003 p.98

Los Angeles Times
"MYSTIC RIVER is a major American motion picture, an overpowering piece of work that involves some of the most basic human emotions..." 10/08/2003 p.C1

USA Today
"...Brooding and bursting with ambition that is substantially fulfilled..." 10/03/2003 p.1E

Sight and Sound
"...Its care lies in performance, tone and theme....Eastwood's tone is mournful, autumnal..." 12/01/2003 p.47-8

Film Comment
"[P]owerful..." 01/01/2004 p.45