Review of Mystic River

Introduction

Mystic River is part drama and part murder mystery set in Boston where the murder mystery is the unravelling of the death of 19-year old Katie, daughter of grocery store owner Jimmy (Sean Penn). 30-years ago, Jimmy, Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins) were regular kids playing together on the streets until something happens to Dave which changes their lives. Dave was kidnapped and abused, until he managed to escape imprisonment; he never escaped mentally however and carries this with him for the rest of his life.

30-years on and things have changed a fair bit between these boys. The death of his daughter is not something that Jimmy could get over until he decided on his own brand of vigilantism and a way to put this behind him. There aren`t many in the way of suspects in this small neighbourhood, and Dave`s unexplained altercation one night leading to spilled blood leads to suspicion. The police are doing their investigation, and Jimmy is doing his own and takes it upon himself to find his daughters` killer. Violence begets violence in Clint Eastwood`s most recent dramatic and tragic outing.

When I think of ensemble actors I`ve enjoyed over the years, only one film sticks out in my mind as truly memorable and enjoyable, Glengarry Glen Ross. Everyone in that was, for me, superb and I derive a great amount of pleasure whenever I watch this film. Mystic River has actors that I like and admire so of course I was hoping that I`d see some good quality acting. I wasn`t disappointed in this respect.

Video

Mystic River comes with a good looking 2.35:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer. Colours are clean and well balanced while detail remains sharp and well defined. I could spot some signs of compression in one or two of the darker scenes, and there`s some grain too, but it doesn`t spoil the film in any way.

Audio

Mystic River comes with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack which serves the film well. Since it`s dialogue driven, this part of the soundtrack comes out well from the centre with the surrounds being used for ambience and one or two scenes such as helicopters crossing over, but that`s about it; sound across the front speakers is good.

Features

Easy to navigate menus with a decent selection of extras:

• Disc One:
-Audio commentary with Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon - Robbins and Bacon are relaxed and laidback during this scene-specific commentary and are also very dry to listen to. I was really looking forward to hearing what they had to say, but I got bored about 10-minutes in as they aren`t very engaging.


• Disc Two:
-Mystic River: Beneath the Surface (widescreen enhanced) (22:51) - This is an interesting piece, it`s the cast and crew, as well as author Dennis Lehane talking about the film, the book, the characters and what compels them to be part of this film.

-Mystic River: From Page to Screen (11:31) - This has some of the first featurette in here with a few other things such as Eastwood`s thoughts, but it`s not as interesting as the first featurette.

-The Charlie Rose Show Interviews (1:51:18): Clint Eastwood (41:49), Tim Robbins (50:24) and Kevin Bacon (19:05). I find the interviews quite interesting the first time around, but by the same token almost forgettable. It is nice to watch at least once however.

-Theatrical Teaser (1:15) & Theatrical Trailer (2:20) - Trailers.

All extras on disc two have French subtitles only.


• Disc Three: As part of this 3-disc Deluxe Edition, Warner Bros have included the complete film soundtrack (62-minutes). The score is composed and produced by Clint Eastwood, with his son Kyle. There`s no doubt that it`s well produced and scored, but if you`ve already seen the film then perhaps only you will know if you want it as part of this package over the standard 2-disc version.

Mystic River has clear English, French and Spanish subtitles. This 3-disc set is packaged in a cardboard digipack with outer sleeve.

Conclusion

The story essentially revolves around three boys who have a life changing experience when Dave (Tim Robbins) is kidnapped. This has shaped their future lives as men and affected their personal relationships. Jimmy (Sean Penn) is a tough talking grocery store owner who`s served time in prison and carries influence in the neighbourhood, particularly with the unsavoury kind; Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a homicide cop and Dave is the only one who`s lost his way and still contains a fragile memory of his lost childhood 30-years before. However, being a victim of sexual abuse leads him to an aggressive act of violence. The murder of Jimmy`s 19-year old daughter and Dave`s unexplained blood and cuts one night leads to a dark conclusion by Dave`s wife and ultimately forces her and Dave to pay a very high price.

There`s no doubt that the character performances here are very good, if a little over the top at times. With an experienced cast led by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon you`d expect something very good; Robbins and Penn won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor respectively, director Clint Eastwood called it, "perfect casting". Their relationships too with onscreen wives played by Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney worked very well and added a frightening and sombre dimension to the story.

Screenwriter Brian Helgeland had the responsibility of adapting this tale of murder and betrayal, and as stories go I thought it well written with its slightly ambiguous ending; it homed in on the preceding tragic events and set a chilling tone for this close knit working-class Boston neighbourhood. You certainly wonder about the path to redemption after committing acts of violence and taking the lives of others.

I liked this film, even though I thought it was a bit long and meandering in places; the very nature of the film being drama and character driven affects the pace so it feels a bit too slow. That said, I enjoyed the ensemble acting and story and will consider reading the book at some point. Clint Eastwood`s direction felt smooth and unobtrusive, and for me this was a film I put off seeing in the cinema, but was glad to see on DVD. Mystic River has good video and audio and a fair selection of extras. You may want to check out the cheaper 2-disc version if you`re not overly bothered about the soundtrack.