The machometer in mystic river

Tools    





Is it just me or was the movie trying to make a statement about weak people vs strong people in society and how certain traumatic situations bring out their natural strength or lack thereof rather than shape them.

Upon rewatching it feels like the movie is trying to show different levels of masculinity in the society. Tim robbins is the weak one and the movie kinda shows that he is weak not because of what he went through but because he is born weak because his weakness made him get in the car as a child. Kevin bacon is strong but he works within the confines of society but nonetheless strong and finally Sean Penn the ex-con who operates outside the law but nonetheless super macho and what to play god and give the killer his justice.

Is there any other theme in it ?



Movie Forums Squirrel Jumper
I think the theme is more about moral corruption and who can not be the most corrupted more so as well, but that is just how I interpreted it. I don't know if I would say it's about masculinity per say though, because Sean Penn's wife was completely on board with playing God though, even more than Penn was, and Penn was having more conflict about it than the wife was.



I think the theme is more about moral corruption and who can not be the most corrupted more so as well, but that is just how I interpreted it. I don't know if I would say it's about masculinity per say though, because Sean Penn's wife was completely on board with playing God though, even more than Penn was, and Penn was having more conflict about it than the wife was.
i read somewhere and i think it kinda makes sense as well that even their wives share the same traits.....tim robbins wife herself is weak because natural selection kinda made weak tim robbins choose his weak wife and viceversa and have a family and his wife being weak and dumb told the only person she shouldn't have told , sean penn about her doubts on her husband. Even if she told kevin bacon...he atleast would have been alive.



Tim robbins is the weak one and the movie kinda shows that he is weak not because of what he went through but because he is born weak because his weakness made him get in the car as a child.
It’s kind of horrible but I agree. It’s brilliant when at the end, Jimmy actually says this much before they kill Dave. He says something like, ‘No one else got into this car, but you did.’