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Mystic River (2003) - Directed by Clint Eastwood

"We bury our sins here."




Mystic River, one of Clint Eastwood's most gripping movies, is a fine and grim tale of how friendships turn around for the worst through the depths of time, and become ugly enough to kill. Although it's not the most well-directed film of Clint Eastwood's filmography, the film does a superp job of bringing the pains of the world together in two hours of a clever mix of a simple family drama and a murder mystery guessing game.

The film is about three adults, one of which is now a cop, who were best friends during their childhood. But their eyes see the world in its true, terrible form once one of them is kidnapped. And this opeining scene is not the worst that will come. When the daughter of the remaining man (Sean Penn) has been murdered, he suspects anyone around him, and his two friends end up involved.

The film is a little slow-paced for my liking, but the emotion of the film kept me enthralled constantly. The cast easily got into character, almost as if a part of the characters was a part of the cast and no one knew it. Everyone poured their heart into it. But what really interested me about the movie is the dialogue. It was like watching a real murder mystery play out instead of just another episode of CSI.

But the real plot points are within the dialogue of the characters. Having to tell thing, hide things, or make up things is a key factor in the plot twists that wait around the bend of the Mystic. The humanity of it all was the leading way in which the pain of the characters is shared with the audience. I know I felt like I would go crazy if my kid was murdered. I felt that throughout the whole movie. It was a movie about pain, and that's something anyone can relate to.

Mystic River is a modern classic, and an essential for those who want to play "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Each of the three main casting choices, Bacon, Sean Penn, and Tim Robbins, put their all into the roles, and watching them dodge bullets as they try to solve the mystery is a real treat, even if it's an unpleasant series of events.