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 A
power cast and director give Mystic River, the new film based
on the best-selling mystery novel by Dennis Lehane,
quite a punch. Sean Penn (Jimmy), Kevin Bacon
(Sean), and Tim Robbins (Dave) play three childhood
friends who drifted apart after a terrible event. Jimmy does time
in prison, then marries and has three daughters; Dave drifts from
job to job but marries and has a son. Sean becomes a cop whose wife
leaves him. The three meet again after a murder, which sets into motion
a tale of guilt, loyalty, and betrayal.
The acting in Mystic
River is dead on and very compelling. Penn, Bacon, and Robbins
are wonderful, as are Laurence Fishburne as Sean’s
cop partner, Marcia Gay Harden as Dave’s
wife, and Laura Linney as Jimmy’s wife. Director
Clint Eastwood gets the most from his cast, and
the directing and cinematography are also well done. However, the
film’s one weakness is its message, which was not very clear
to me. But the film did provoke a good after-viewing discussion,
and the mystery kept me guessing, so overall this is a river worth
wading into.
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