Mystic River (2003) Review

"The reality is we're still 11-year old boys locked in a cellar imagining what our lives would have been if we'd escaped."

-Det. Sean Devine

Three childhood friends, who were driven apart by a traumatic experience, are forced to reconnect after the daughter of one of them, Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), is murdered.  An ex con, Jimmy uses his contacts to investigate his daughter's death, while Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), now a detective, does the same using legal resources.  The 3rd friend, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), has become increasingly unstable, having been the most effected by the childhood trauma, and the possibility that Dave is the killer becomes more and more likely.

What Works 

This film is 100% carried by the acting.  Both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won Oscars for their performances and they are both incredible.  I think Sean Penn's performance when he realizes his daughter is dead may be the best grieving parent performance I have ever seen.  His character is a tough, Boston ex-con, and seeing him finally break down his heartbreaking.

Tim Robbins is also amazing and I truly wasn't sure if he was guilty or innocent.  But he's so likable and his backstory makes you feel horrible for him, you are just hoping that he didn't do it because if he did, it might be too much to handle.  Both men were totally deserving of their Oscars.

Mystic River has a really interesting story.  On its surface, it's a relatively straightforward murder-mystery, but we don't just have the police investigating, we get Jimmy's thugs looking into the case as well.  Plus we get to see the devastating effect the death has on the loved ones.  But the most important aspect of the film is the relationship between the three former friends.  Their relationships are fascinating because they aren't friends anymore and there is a lot of tension between them, but they have this shared experience that no one else understands and that makes their scenes together really dynamic.

The climax of the film is really excellent as we have two very similar face-offs happening at the same times at the river and at the Harris apartment.  The similarities are really impactful and both scenes are engaging and very well crafted.

Finally, the first part of the resolution, with Sean and Jimmy talking in the street, is great.  I love their dialogue about still being 11 and Jimmy's realization that he killed the wrong person.  It's a great scene and I really wish the movie had ended there.  If the last shot of the film has been Jimmy walking down the street, Mystic River would have been a near perfect movie, unfortunately it doesn't...

What Sucks:

The scenes following Jimmy and Sean's talk don't really work for me.  I don't like the resolution between Sean and his wife.  If it had happened earlier in the film, sure, but coming right on the heels of the scene in the street, all I felt was, "who cares?"

Then there is the scene between Jimmy and his wife, Annabeth (Laura Linney), where she comforts and seduces him while telling him he could be king of the city.  It's a really bizarre scene and feels very out of place.  It doesn't really jive with the rest of the film.

Finally, I don't love the motive of the killers being a random prank gone wrong.  Ray Harris (Spencer Treat Clark) had a much better potential motivation in that he didn't want his brother to leave, so he killed his brother's girlfriend.  it makes way more sense than what we actually got.

Verdict:

Although it doesn't stick the landing, Mystic River is an extremely engaging mystery with top notch acting, a fascinating story, and really interesting character dynamics.  If had been just a few minutes shorter, if would have been near perfect, but it has still got it going on.

 9/10: Great