Review of Mystic River (2003) by Peter A — 16 Jul 2010

Complex, dark, taut and powerful, Mystic River oozes onto the screen and into the mind. Clint Eastwood slowly peels away the tangled layers of a story that criss-crosses with emotion and suspicion.

Set in a rundown area of Boston, there are no props to aid the film's progress. Eastwood follows the river, flooding the senses with expert and delicate direction. His touch is omnipresent: in the music - which tinkles evocatively in the background - in the way he pricks the viewer to the extent of discomfort at times. Above all, he has become the consummate storyteller never lingering on successful shots, leaving the watcher hungry for more.

Actors seem to raise their game for Eastwood. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne have never appeared more natural yet striking. The female leads are impressive and there is even a face from the past in the shape of Eli Wallach.

This is a film that jabs away at us like a boxer gradually getting the upper hand. We know there is a knockout punch coming but are so engrossed in what is unfolding that we fail to look for it.

Put simply, this movie should not be so good. It is a testimony to Eastwood's talent that he has taken a formulaic story and transformed it into something extraordinary.