Mystic River 2003

     This film is based on a best selling novel by Dennis LeHane published in 2001.  The setting of this film is the summer of 1975 in a Boston neighborhood.  Dave Boyle and two of his friends, Jimmy and Sean are three kids playing on the sidewalk.  Suddenly, two men abduct Dave and he endures several days of abuse.  He escapes and this event leaves Dave traumatized throughout adulthood.  Jimmy is an ex-con and he is the father of three children.  His daughter Katie is found dead and Dave becomes the number one suspect.  Jimmy is now a homicide detective and he’s investigating Katie’s murder.  He finds himself faced with past and present demons!!  Jimmy learns that Katie had a boyfriend and ballistics turns up a gun belonging to Katie’s father.  The questions now are will Sean find out who killed Katie?  Will Jimmy be able to make it through the investigation?  Will Dave find out what really happened when he was abducted?

     As a child, the author Dennis Lehane’s mother severely scolded him about getting into a car with two men who claimed to be plain-clothes policemen.  This incident contributed to the plot in the novel Mystic River.  There are twists and turns, you think you have the solution early in but are you really sure?  There are very good performances by all the actors.  This is a tough subject since it involves children!!  4* (I really liked this movie) 

  

138 min, Crimed directed by Clint Eastwood with Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Kevin Chapman, Tom Guiry, Emmy Rossum, Specer Treat Clark, Andrew Mackin, Adam Nelson, Robert Wahlbergh, Jenny O’Hara, John Doman.

Note:  Imdb 8 out of 10, Roger Ebert 4*, 88% critic 89% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 84 out of 100 with 42 critics 7 out of 10 with 668 reviews, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Rob Mackie, Empire Online 4* out of 5* Alan Morrison, RollingStone 4* Peter Travers, Amazon Video 4.4* out of 5* with 1098 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Boston, Chelsea, Charlestown, Canton, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Massachusetts and Los Angeles, California.  This film earned $156,822,020 worldwide with $90,135,191 in the US and $66,686,829 international box office.  Proceeds were significantly higher than the $30 million budget!!  Sean Penn won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a leading role, Tim Robbins an Oscar and Golden Globe best actor in a supporting role, Golden Globe Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay.