61 Member Reviews
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4
by heff4
Dark subject matter and a pretty predictable story but so well acted that the characters do seem very believable. Penn and Robbins especially good I thought.
4
by Dylan9
Clint Eastwood had the unfortunate timing to come up against The Acadamy literally falling over itself to congratulate Peter Jackson on the 3 LOTR films. Any other year he would have easily walked... Read more
away with the Oscar for Directing and likely Best Picture as well. Set in the rough streets of South Boston, Mystic River is the story of three boys, Jimmy, Sean and David who have their lives altered forever one afternoon. Drawing their names in wet concrete they are caught and questioned by a cop who takes David with him. Unfortunately the "cop" ends up being a pedophile and he and his friend abuse David for 4 days until he escapes. Jump forward to the present time and we see Jimmy now a grocery store owner who has previously had run ins with the law, Sean a detective with the State Police and David still traumatised by the events of 25 years before but trying to be a good father and husband. Now another tradgedy hits as Jimmy's 19 year old daughter is found brutally murdered. Sean is called in to investigate and suspicion quickly falls on David who had returned home covered in blood and not fully willing to tell the truth. Mystic River is a bleak look into the dark secrets that some communities hold and the outcomes of "justice". Full of excellent acting from Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and supported by Laura Linny and Laurence Fishburn. One of the truly great films of 2003.
4
by ramesh1
what a great acting especially by sean penn...he is one the greatest modern actors along with kevin spacey, johnny depp. in this movie you get all the mystery..all the excitement..and all the performance.
5
by robmcl
This one is a must see. Directed by Clint Eastwood and with a stellar cast it's gripping drama, incredibly well written, brilliantly acted and directed. No special effects just a brilliant film. Rent it.
4
by Schonod
Sean Penn is absolutely brilliant in this movie, as is Tim Robbins. It's a great story, very moving and dramatic. Keeps you engrossed to the end. Pretty heavy going at times, so keep your wits about... Read more
you. Not one to watch if you want to blob out in front of a no brainer movie.
2.5
by Sweet Pea
This movie had a good cast, but I found it too slow, and very predictable. My attention span started to wander after half an hour!
3
by Joel. S
Slow, but compelling until the dividing final scene, it really is the make or break moment for the audience.
2
by noke88
boring movie...................................................................
1
by Iamthelizardqueen.
Shudder! Tasteless drivel stuffed with bipedal clichés, horrible miscasting, exploitative am-dram bellyflops & an ending that had my eyes almost rolling out of their sockets. All that and boring,... Read more
too! Avoid, unless you like that sort of thing.
2
by morepork
A very disappointing adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel. I blame the script (which was Oscar nominated!) - it's as wooden as a pine plantation and seems stuck on following the novel slavishly, to the... Read more
detriment of the perplexed viewer.Two other adaptations of Lehane novels are much better: Gone Baby Gone (set in a similar milieu) and Shutter Island (showing in cinemas as of writing).
The acting is as stiff as the script (Sean Penn made me cringe); the only one who manages to instill some natural tones into his character is Kevin Bacon as the detective.
Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden (such an under-rated actress) provide good support.