Mystic River
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With the pretense of a Shakespearian dissection of the human psyche through tragedy -- but with none of the plot -- Mystic River labors dramatically, flounders awkwardly, and flops sadly.

The film acts to connect the dots between the life events for three childhood friends -- Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins) -- which include two pivotal traumas that have shaped their lives. The first event occurs when they are children. Dave is abducted and brutalized for four days, successfully robbing the entire trio of their childhood innocence in a single moment. After this occurrence, Dave is rendered a "basket case," and both Sean and Jimmy head down very different paths as a result of survivor's guilt. Jimmy succumbs to a life of petty crime, and Sean becomes a police officer. Their lives reconnect after the second event, the murder of Jimmy's teenage daughter, Katie (Emmy Rossum).

With these stirring elements, it would seem to make a riveting thriller with the complexities of an in-depth drama. Unfortunately, the film strains to connect the trio's unresolved issues from childhood to the bereavement over the tragic loss of Katie. Similarly, the story over-reaches to attribute their other life problems to this initial incident as well: the complex layers of Jimmy's shady past, Sean's emotional distance and strained relationship with his ex, and Dave's disassociated personality -- well okay, maybe Dave's personality disorder isn't that much of a stretch. The result makes what could be a compelling story needlessly contrived.

Nonetheless, Mystic River has some strong points, given the scant material. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both deliver Oscar-worthy performances. Penn's grieving is so genuine, it can physically be experienced; every gut-wrenching moment of his pain is agonizingly experienced by the audience. Robbins creates an engrossing character whose scattered, puzzle-like presence leaves us trying to unravel him up to the very end. As a director, Clint Eastwood executes some visually stunning shots. For example, when Jimmy first learns of his daughter's murder, he is swarmed by Boston PD. An overhead shot frames the screaming Penn as he drowns in a sea of cops -- a unique physical representation of the grief washing over him.

In all fairness, Mystic River comes very close to being an exceptional film. And because of this, its flaws are that much more exaggerated -- and, therefore, that much more difficult to forgive.

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