Mystic River Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)November 3rd, 2003
MYSTIC RIVER (2003) / *** 1/2
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Screenplay by Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. Starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon. Running time: 137 minutes. Rated AA by the MFCB. Reviewed on November 3rd, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Jimmy Markum (Penn), Dave Boyle (Robbins) and Sean Devine (Bacon) were childhood friends until the day that Dave was abducted by child molesters posing as policemen. Ever since, their relationship has been merely casual, until the day Jimmy's daughter Katie is found murdered. Sean, now a police detective, arrives to investigate with his partner (Laurence Fishburne), while Dave's wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) comes to suspect her husband may have been involved.
Review: Despite sporting all the trappings of a police procedural, "Mystic River" is much more. Indeed, the crime drama which provides it structure is really pretty straightforward; the attentive (and those familiar with the genre) will likely finger the culprit by the time the film reaches its midway mark. Instead, "Mystic River" is a meditation on the effects that loss and suffering can have on the lives of all those involved -- the way that tragedy is a prison all its own. The purpose of the immediate tragedy (Katie's murder) is really to cast the earlier tragedy (Dave's abduction) back into the light of day after being buried for thirty years. We come to see how all three boys still live in the shadow of those events: Dave is a wounded soul, Jimmy finds it impossible to leave behind a life of crime, and as a cop, Sean is still trying to make everything better. It is surely no coincidence that all three have unhealthy relationships with their wives -- Celeste doesn't trust Dave, Sean's pregnant wife won't speak to him (literally), while Annabeth Markum (Laura Linney), in a sadly underdeveloped element of the film, is an uneasy influence on Jimmy. The evolution of these three relationships serves as a metaphor for each man's healing, or lack thereof. Impressively acted and intelligently directed, "Mystic River" is a dramatic triumph.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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