fludd.org - Movie Review

By adapting this movie from one of the novel of Dennis Lehane, one of the modern master of literary thriller, Clint Eastwood gives us perhaps one of the best suspense movie of all time. Even if Mystic River, as a dramatic thriller, lacks style, it is undeniable that in a few years, in will definitely be considered as a classic in American cinema. So, if you really enjoyed watching L.A. Confidential, you will probably like Mystic River, but you should expect to see some changes in comparison with L.A. Confidential.

As you can see (or will easily see), Clint Eastwood, the movie director, has taken the decision to direct this movie without having a particular style and as a result of that, it gives us a very simple movie, visually speaking. Despite the lack stylistics, Mystic River is shockingly realistic and also psychologically traumatizing, for some people, because Clint Eastwood, like most movie directors who are compatible with the genres of dramatic thriller and film noir, is really capable of using the adequate dark and cold lighting effects to set the movie’s tone and mood without trying too much. Furthermore, many people who have seen the movie will say that one of the movie’s main strength is, without a moment of doubt, the subtle exploration of the characters’ mind, in other words, you don’t have to hear them say a word and you can easily tell how they are feeling by the look of their eyes. In short, despite the lack of style, Mystic River is certainly a visually impressive movie, because of the amazing cinematography that translates very well the characters’ feelings, and the movie’s tone and mood.

Known as one of the best script writer specialized in adapting crime novels, Brian Hegeland (L.A. Confidential) is the man behind the script of Mystic River. Those who have read Dennis Lehane’s novel will certainly say that the novel contains long periods, because many people say that Dennis Lehnane cares about the psychological presentation of his characters. After all, Brian Hegeland found a way to eliminate some useless scenes that will really slow the movie’s pace if they were kept in the final version, thus it gives us a lighter and more concise movie. Another brilliant idea from Hegeland is also the elimination of the useless suspects, because in the novel Mystic River, there were many suspects who only appear for only, at most, four chapters out of twenty-eight, and by doing it, the viewers can certainly concentrate all their attention on the most important suspects, in other words the suspects that appear during all the movie and that keeps us interested to the movie, despite its complexity. What elevates Mystic River over just about everything else being done in the genre today is the script writer’s (or Dennis Lehane’s, if we are are talking about the novel) willingness to expose the scars, as well as the strengths, of his characters, from inside their mind, as well as outside their mind.

The characters are played with great professionalism by a group of excellent actors who knows how to serve a simple and brilliant script. As Jimmy, Sean Penn (21 Grams) really delivers a very disturbing and shocking performance as a greatly saddened father who is ready to do anything to seek justice and revenge. Kevin Bacon, the actor who’s portraying Sean, shows is also very impressive as a character who’s trying to find the real murderer of Jimmy’s daughter as fast as possible, because he fears that Jimmy will be tempted to make his own justice and Sean knows that he doesn’t have the control of the situation. The most shocking performance was obviously delivered by Tim Robbins, as Dave, because with the look of his eyes, he can really convinces us that his character has been sexually assaulted and therefore, it is easy for us to see how much Dave is trying to hide that shame deep inside him, until the moment when he bursts near the end of the movie. Generally speaking, the three leading actors can be very proud to be very well supported by great actors who show a lot of passion for their job, such as Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Laura Linney ([I]Kinsey) and Marcia Gay Harden (Pollack).

All that being said about the movie, let it be said that Mystic River is, without a moment of doubt, a movie that is worth watching, because it is completely different from every thriller that you have seen in your whole life. However, even if I found the movie very appealing, I’m sure that some people will find it quite boring and tedious, because the movie is quite dark, but it is important to know that Mystic River is a heavily moody movie, rather than a movie full of suspense, as opposed to L.A. Confidential or Infernal Affairs. After all, many people who have seen this movie will probably say that Mystic River is obviously a masterpiece, as a dramatic thriller.

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