Mystic River Deluxe

This was one of my favorite films of 2003. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both deserved the Oscars they took home. My advice to anyone reading this review is save 10-15 dollars and buy the version with just the film on it. The Special Edition contains nothing more than some of the most boring interviews, which go on for over an hour or two, and a dull commentary track. No insight on the making of the film or the casting. The Soundtrack is decent but not worth the extra bucks. Please take my advice and buy the "bare bones" version of this outstanding film and nothing more.

Here we have in Mystic River Eastwood directing and constructing like alfred hitchcock or at least trying to and understanding his psychology by moving scenes, the inner life of characters, and what moves people. He is of course different and has his own way of approaching this film, which presents quite complex action, but action there hardly is as the movie concentrates on what moves people and modern society as it is evolving. There was a movie years ago based on a famous play The Petrified Forest and the producers invited people from around the world to explain what is actually going on, and the movie was updated as The Desperate Hours years later, in which the terror of modern life is unleashed at all kinds of innocents in a household, but that was a quite complex story examining things from many different angles. Here we have Mystic River, mystic and river go together, ancient worlds had baptism type ceremonies in rivers, after which you were cleansed body in soul, much like the character Mr Markam..mark ham,,,and he has all the marks on him as the person who actually loves his family, and we're told has the world embittered against him..for some reason. THere is also terror..against a child..the father..and also by these terror
massochist minds anywhere and everywhere where they can get away with it..and socialize only with investigating
police investigators...the victim has no such interview, no such niceties, is left in the dark, and we see no relationship at all. The perpetrator, or alleged walks his child to school for safety, and the whole mood is somber
and we are told that the child's body was dumped in the river...what the river today has actually become. At the film's end we have an emotional scene although they lay it on too heavy and say love..you love..like where idiots and cant figure this out for ourselves...yes we get it...and how a wife attacks o husband...since she really dislikes her kids(but they dont see that)..I always avoided this film since it seems so absurd and counterproductive..but it tells us much about the hitchcockian view of modern life, and how many important directors around the world are taking it up, in filming characters and the action, the outer behavior, though Hitchcock had knowledge of the theories too..and like Eastwood he has taken on here with all the crosses and imagery, like Hitchcock often overlays his work, metaphors of suffering...Senn Penn gives a great performance and is a suspect in ways and gets his name and life ruined, not to mention his whole neighbourhood, this type of terrorism and the objects they find really disgusts modern sensibilities, and some people like this film and some dont, but you can hardly say its not rampant worldwide.

This is not happy ending kids, this is by far the most agonizing, frustrated, confused, and worst I've felt after viewing a film. That's why it's so brilliant. It makes no apologies, and doesn't cover up or sugar coat the reality of life. The performances are first-rate, top-notch hitters. Every actor involved gave the performace of their careers. Penn and Robbins earned their Oscars with the dept and truth they brought to their characters. Eastwood is a master at filmaking, and this is definitely a masterpiece. If you want a hard hitting, no prisoners drama, then this is absoultly your movie. I highly recommend this film and DVD.