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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.
