neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Mystic River
	Clint Eastwood Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney 2003		Jimmy, Sean and Dave, three boyhood pals from a working-class Boston neighborhood, experience a trauma that haunts them into adulthood in the impressive, turbulent "Mystic River." Twenty-five years after the terrible incident that marked the trio, Jimmy (Sean Penn), an ex-con with a loving wife and three kids, runs the corner store. Sean (Kevin Bacon), separated from his wife and miserable, is an upstanding cop. Dave (Tim Robbins), a devoted dad and husband, is most consumed by his harrowing memories. Having grown up and apart, they're pulled back together when Jimmy's eldest daughter is killed. Sean and his cynical partner (Laurence Fishburne) are assigned to the case, as past and present sins entangle the estranged friends. On the surface, the film, directed with care and an exacting pace by Clint Eastwood, is a knotty murder mystery adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland ("L.A. Confidential") from Dennis Lehane's novel. But its rich psychological texture and exceptional cast give it more scope than the customary crime drama. It's the best behind-the-camera work by tough-guy actor Eastwood since his elegiac Western, "Unforgiven." With Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney.