Mystic River

2003 Crime Drama

Directed by Clint Eastwood, the mysterious drama Mystic River is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Set in an Irish neighborhood in Boston, Jimmy, Sean, and Dave are three childhood friends who are reunited after a brutal murder takes place. Reformed convict Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) and his devoted wife Annabeth (Laura Linney) find out that their teenage daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) has been beaten and killed. Jimmy's old friend Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon) is the homicide detective assigned to the case, along with partner Whitey Powers (Laurence Fishburne). Jimmy also gets his relatives, the Savage brothers (Adam Nelson and Robert Wahlberg), to conduct an investigation of their own. Jimmy and Sean both start to suspect their old pal, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), who lives a quiet life with his wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) but harbors some disturbing secrets. Clint Eastwood won a Golden Coach for Mystic River at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. more..

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Sean Penn,Tim Robbins,Kevin Bacon,Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden

 30 Reviews  57 Awards

Reviews

  • To see strong acting like this is exhilarating. In a time of flashy directors who slice and dice their films in a dizzy editing rhythm, it is important to remember that films can look and listen and attentively sympathize with their characters. Directors grow great by subtracting, not adding, and Eastwood does nothing for show, everything for effect.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Eastwood directs Mystic River with an invigorated grace and gravitas. This is a true American beauty of a movie, a tale of men and their bonds told by and for adults who value the old-fashioned Hollywood-studio notion of narrative.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Clint Eastwood pours everything he knows about directing into Mystic River. His film sneaks up, messes with your head and then floors you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that hypnotic.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • Chilling, superbly acted.

    - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • River ranks with the best movies Eastwood has directed: "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Unforgiven" and "The Bridges of Madison County." But this time, the work is strong without his own on-screen presence -- a significant achievement.

    - USA Today

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Movie of the Year

    AFI Awards (2004)

  • Best Actor in a Leading Role

    Academy Awards (2004)

  • Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic

    American Cinema Editors (2004)

     

  • Brian Helgeland

    American Screenwriters Association (2004)

     

  • Best Foreign Film (Mejor Película Extranjera)

    Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2004)

     

Lists

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