{"id":6970,"date":"2010-08-21T18:43:42","date_gmt":"2010-08-22T01:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviesharkdeblore.com\/site\/?p=6970"},"modified":"2014-10-21T10:45:19","modified_gmt":"2014-10-21T17:45:19","slug":"mystic-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/reviews\/mystic-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Mystic River"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: debbie lynn elias<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo \u00a9 Copyright\u2028\u00a0Warner Bros.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Already in limited release, but opening nationwide this week, “Mystic River” marks Clint Eastwood’s 24th, and indisputably his best, directorial effort thus far.\u00a0 Written by Brian Helgeland based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, “Mystic River” is a suspenseful brooding tale of three boyhood friends brought together by a tragic event twenty-five years later.<\/p>\n

As kids growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in an Irish Boston neighborhood, Jimmy, Dave and Sean were the best of friends.\u00a0 But, as happens in life, each went their separate way as they moved into adulthood.\u00a0 Jimmy, is an ex-con trying to make ends meet running the corner store.\u00a0 Dave is a simple handyman.\u00a0 While Sean, now a homicide cop, finds himself assigned to investigate the murder of a 19 year old girl who just happens to be Jimmy’s daughter.\u00a0 As Sean and his partner attempt to unravel the seemingly senseless brutality of the murder, they find themselves not only forced to deal with a father’s rage and thirst for vengeance, but Sean must come to grips with lifelong circumstances that draw Dave into the picture.\u00a0 As the investigation closes in around the three friends, an ominous tale unfolds painting a disturbingly dark portrait of friendship, family, mistrust and loyalty.<\/p>\n

As opined by Eastwood himself, “Murder mysteries are usually only about solving the crime. But in this case the story shows how, beyond the murder, all of the participants’ lives have been altered by the crime. One gets to see the impact a violent act has had, many years after the fact. It’s that tragic circle – all three of these men have unresolved issues in their lives. They have all been traumatized by the past. All became damaged goods.”<\/p>\n

Making this film so extraordinary are the Oscar caliber performances of the cast and Eastwood’s rapport and obvious latitude with each.\u00a0 Sean Penn tackles the role of Jimmy with a desperate urgency and pervasive undertone of violence, keeping Jimmy and the audience on edge, never knowing which way his emotional tide may turn.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tim Robbins’ broodingly pensive, introverted portrayal of Dave is spellbinding, exuding an inner pain and desperate confusion felt by all and never moreso than when looks to vampire movies for metaphors to describe his feelings. Rounding out our three principals is Kevin Bacon as Sean.\u00a0 Bacon is riveting with his wrenching inner turmoil.\u00a0 Conflicted over his job and the discoveries uncovered during the murder investigation, his pathos only escalates when he allows himself to feel the pain associated with the absence of his wife.<\/p>\n

Laura Linney, who has previously co-starred with Eastwood, takes her acting to new levels with a Lady Macbeth-like performance as Jimmy’s wife.\u00a0 Intently focused and fiercely loyal to her husband and his need for vengeance over their daughter’s death, Linney, quite frankly, is terrifying.\u00a0 Laurence Fishburne steps in as Sean’s partner and with his usual excellence, provides a much needed counter-balance and sense of reason to the darkness and despair of the principals.<\/p>\n

In Eastwood’s\u00a0 trademark minimalist style, every nuance, every frame, every word, are done with purpose and effect.\u00a0 The exquisite detail in Lehane’s novel is not lost in the translation to film.\u00a0 Screenwriter Brian Helgeland, a\u00a0 master at trimming away excess, leaves some choice cuts, giving each actor a role to sink their teeth into.\u00a0\u00a0 Still packed with details, each provides an essential meaning and significance and stay with you long after the film ends.\u00a0\u00a0 Adding even more definition to the character study at work is the majestic score, written by Eastwood and performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.<\/p>\n

While “Mystic River” is at its basest a crime thriller, it is so much more than that.\u00a0 It is a journey; a journey filled with secrets and suspicions, blood boiling vengeance, moral consequences, public and private loyalties, and pain that transcends the decades.\u00a0\u00a0 This is an actor’s playground but with minimal playground equipment, forcing each to look within to discover the underlying inner truths each character holds.\u00a0 And under the guidance of Clint Eastwood, the sum of all the parts is electrifying perfection.<\/p>\n

Jimmy: Sean Penn\u2028Dave: Tim Robbins\u2028Sean: Kevin Bacon\u2028Celeste: Marcia Gay Harden\u2028Patty: Sarah Silverman\u2028Annabeth: Laura Linney\u2028Katie: Emmy Rossum<\/p>\n

Warner Bros. presents a film directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. Running time: 137 minutes. Rated R (for language and violence).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: debbie lynn elias Already in limited release, but opening nationwide this week, “Mystic River” marks Clint Eastwood’s 24th, and indisputably his best, directorial effort thus far.\u00a0 Written by Brian Helgeland based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, “Mystic River” is a suspenseful brooding tale of three boyhood friends brought together by a tragic event […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6972,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,9],"tags":[1013],"class_list":["post-6970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","category-reviews","tag-mystic-river"],"yoast_head":"\nMystic River - Behind The Lens Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Behind the Lens is your home for in-depth movie reviews, filmmaker & celebrity interviews, and more, all by industry professional and film critic debbie lynn elias...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/reviews\/mystic-river\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mystic River\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Behind the Lens is your home for in-depth movie reviews, filmmaker & celebrity interviews, and more, all by industry professional and film critic debbie lynn elias...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/reviews\/mystic-river\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Behind The Lens Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-08-22T01:43:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-10-21T17:45:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/behindthelensonline.net\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/mystic2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"150\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"97\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"debbie lynn elias\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"debbie lynn elias\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"debbie lynn elias\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2d9b602095eb0ce3d363efb75ad0b5d4\"},\"headline\":\"Mystic River\",\"datePublished\":\"2010-08-22T01:43:42+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-10-21T17:45:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":758,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2010\\\/08\\\/mystic2.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Mystic River\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Movies\",\"Reviews\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/behindthelensonline.net\\\/site\\\/reviews\\\/mystic-river\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mystic River - 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