Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Mystic River
2003
***
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Tom Guiry, Spencer Treat Clark, Emmy Rossum

Jimmy, Sean, and Dave were childhood friends in a tough Boston neighbourhood until one of them suffered a traumatic experience. Now 25 years later, they come together again when Jimmy's daughter is brutally murdered. Clint Eastwood stays behind the camera for this smart and slow-burning crime drama, which is based on Dennis Lehane's crime novel. This is more of a character study than a conventional murder mystery, and it features raw and believable characters. However, the ending is so overpoweringly underwhelming that it leaves a very bad aftertaste. Nevertheless, the performances are brilliant. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won Academy Awards, but for me Marcia Gay Harden is the pick of the bunch.