Mystic River (2003)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers (WGA):

Dennis Lehane (novel)
Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

We bury our sins, we wash them clean.

Plot:

With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Police | Sexual Abuse | Childhood Friend | Gun

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 41 wins & 64 nominations

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Jimmy Markum
Tim Robbins	...	Dave Boyle
Kevin Bacon	...	Sean Devine
Laurence Fishburne	...	Sgt. Whitey Powers
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Celeste Boyle
Laura Linney	...	Annabeth Markum
Kevin Chapman	...	Val Savage
Tom Guiry	...	Brendan Harris (as Thomas Guiry)
Emmy Rossum	...	Katie Markum
Spencer Treat Clark	...	Silent Ray Harris
Andrew Mackin	...	John O'Shea
Adam Nelson	...	Nick Savage
Robert Wahlberg	...	Kevin Savage
Jenny O'Hara	...	Esther Harris
John Doman	...	Driver
Cameron Bowen	...	Young Dave Boyle
Jason Kelly	...	Young Jimmy Markum
Connor Paolo	...	Young Sean Devine
T. Bruce Page	...	Jimmy's Father (as Bruce Page)
Miles Herter	...	Sean's Father
Cayden Boyd	...	Michael Boyle
Tori Davis	...	Lauren Devine
Jonathan Togo	...	Pete
Shawn Fitzgibbon	...	Funeral Director
Will Lyman	...	FBI Agent Birden
Celine du Tertre	...	Nadine Markum
Ari Graynor	...	Eve Pigeon
Zabeth Russell	...	Diane Cestra
Joe Stapleton	...	Drew Pigeon
Susan Willis	...	Mrs. Prior
José Ramón Rosario	...	Lt. Friel (as Jose Ramon Rosario)
Tom Kemp	...	CSS Tech
Charley Broderick	...	Medical Examiner (as Charles Broderick)
Lonnie Farmer	...	Lab Technician
Celeste Oliva	...	Trooper Jenny Coughlin
Bates Wilder	...	Loudmouthed Cop
Douglass Bowen Flynn	...	Cop at Barricade
Bill Thorpe	...	Neighbor at Barricade
Matty Blake	...	Cop in Park
Ken Cheeseman	...	Dave's Friend in Bar
Scott Winters	...	Detective
Thomas Derrah	...	Headstone Salesman
Jim Smith	...	Reporter
Patrick Shea	...	Handcuffed Man
Duncan Putney	...	Solicitor in Car
Ed O'Keefe	...	Communion Priest
Dave Zee Garison	...	'75 Police Officer
Michael McGovern	...	'75 Reporter
Bill Richards	...	Helicopter Pilot
Michael Peavey	...	Helicopter Pilot
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mikey Kelley	...	Boston Cop (voice)
Eric Bruno Borgman	...	Murder Scene Spectator (uncredited)
Paul Bronk	...	Detective (uncredited)
Kevin Conway	...	Theo (uncredited)
Richard DeAgazio	...	Church family member (uncredited)
James DeVoy	...	Parade Patron (uncredited)
Sean Patrick Doherty	...	Boston Cop (uncredited)
John Ferus	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
Brian Frates	...	State Police Detective (uncredited)
John Joyce	...	Man in Fight Scene (uncredited)
Stephen Kyle	...	Shopper (uncredited)
Adam LaFramboise	...	Parade Spectator (uncredited)
Loy Lee	...	Bus Boy (uncredited)
Brett Murphy	...	Boy (uncredited)
Lance Norris	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Stephen O'Neil Martin	...	Boston Cop (uncredited)
Ryan Patrick	...	School boy (uncredited)
John Pungitore	...	Worker (uncredited)
Frank Ridley	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
Greg Stechman	...	Parade Spectator (uncredited)
Anthony Taurasi	...	Boston Cop (uncredited)
Jerry Trupiano	...	Baseball Announcer (uncredited)
J.T. Turner	...	Church Goer (uncredited)
Brian Van Kay	...	Police Detective (uncredited)
Marc Vos	...	Bar Patron (uncredited)
Eli Wallach	...	Mr. Loonie, Liquor Store Owner (uncredited)
Jillian Wheeler	...	Sara Markum (uncredited)
Brian White	...	State Trooper (uncredited)
Kris Williams	...	Spectator (uncredited)

Directed by
Clint Eastwood

Writing credits (WGA)
Dennis Lehane		(novel)
Brian Helgeland		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bruce Berman	....	executive producer
Clint Eastwood	....	producer
Judie Hoyt	....	producer (as Judie G. Hoyt)
Robert Lorenz	....	producer

Original Music by
Clint Eastwood

Cinematography by
Tom Stern		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joel Cox

Casting by
Phyllis Huffman

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Art Direction by
Jack G. Taylor Jr.

Set Decoration by
Richard C. Goddard

Costume Design by
Deborah Hopper

Makeup Department
Jerry DeCarlo	....	hair stylist
Mary Ellen James	....	makeup artist (as Maryellen James)
Tania McComas	....	key makeup artist
Carol A. O'Connell	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Tim Moore	....	unit production manager (as Timothy Alan Moore)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Katie Carroll	....	second second assistant director
Melissa Cummins Lorenz	....	second assistant director
Robert Lorenz	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Bobby Anderson	....	picture car coordinator
Anthony Aveta	....	foreman: workers team
James Champoux	....	propmaker
Margaret Cox	....	art department coordinator
Ken Doyle	....	set dresser (as Kenneth J. Doyle Jr.)
Ken Doyle	....	set dresser
Jann K. Engel	....	set designer (as Jann Engel)
Jennifer Engel	....	set dresser
Glen R. Feldman	....	assistant property master
Julia Garrison	....	painter
Jennifer Gerbino	....	props
Paul W. Gorfine	....	stand-by painter
Adrian Gorton	....	set designer
Jane Gulick	....	property assistant
Kirk D. Hansen	....	head painter
Michael Muscarella	....	construction coordinator (as Michael A. Muscarella)
Beth Peterson	....	set dresser
Eugene Pope	....	carpenter
Eugene Pope	....	welder
Sandra Renfroe	....	swing gang (as Sandi Armstrong-Renfroe)
David Rotondo	....	propmaker
Mike Rutgard	....	swing gang (as Michael S. Rutgard)
Kenny Sanford	....	construction general foreman
John Schacht	....	lead person (as John A. Schacht)
Robert Schleinig	....	set dresser
Theodore Suchecki	....	construction foreman: Boston (as Ted Suchecki)
Dean Wilson	....	property master
Jack Coyle	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer
Bub Asman	....	supervising sound editor
Christopher Boyes	....	sound re-recording mixer
William Cawley	....	assistant sound editor (as Bill Cawley)
Bradley Clouse	....	assistant sound editor
Lucy Coldsnow-Smith	....	supervising dialogue editor
John T. Cucci	....	foley artist (as John Cucci)
Gloria D'Alessandro	....	dialogue editor
Flash Deros	....	boom operator
Joe Divitale	....	foley editor (as Joseph DiVitale)
Kelly Doran	....	utility sound
Michael Dressel	....	supervising foley editor
Juno J. Ellis	....	adr supervisor
Juno J. Ellis	....	supervising adr editor
Sean England	....	machine room operator
David Grimaldi	....	sound effects editor
Andrea Horta	....	adr editor
Eileen Horta	....	adr editor
Jason King	....	sound effects editor
Walt Martin	....	production sound mixer
Walt Martin	....	sound mixer
Matthew C. May	....	assistant sound editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Blu Murray	....	apprentice sound editor
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
George Peterson Jr.	....	sound re-recordist
Sonny Pettijohn	....	assistant adr editor
Mark Purcell	....	machine room operator
Michael Semanick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Shoup	....	sound effects editor
Karen Spangenberg	....	sound editor
Tyler Stephens	....	additional sound utility
Gary Summers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Troy	....	dialogue editor
Wade Wilson	....	sound designer
Carl D. Ware	....	sound engineer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
H. Barclay Aaris	....	special effects
William 'Billy Jack' Jakielaszek	....	special effects technician
Steve Riley	....	special effects director (as Steven Riley)
Dominic V. Ruiz	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Mark Freund	....	visual effects supervisor: Pacific Title
Max Gabl	....	scenic artist
Brad Kalinoski	....	digital compositor
Jennifer Law-Stump	....	digital effects artist: Pacific Title Digital
Darin McCormick-Millett	....	digital opticals producer
Liz Radley	....	video and graphics supervisor (as Elizabeth Radley)
James D. Tittle	....	digital visual effects coordinator: Pacific Title
Bob Wiatr	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Paul Marini	....	stunt performer
John Vincent Mason	....	stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Woody Bell	....	rigging grip
Buzzy Burwell	....	set lighting technician
Stephen S. Campanelli	....	camera operator
Mark J. Casey	....	rigging electric best boy
Bill Coe	....	assistant camera
Scott D. Davis	....	rigging gaffer
Ross Dunkerley	....	gaffer
Shawn Greene	....	grip
Dan Hutchinson	....	rigging electrician
Brendan Keefe	....	electrician
John Lacy	....	best boy electric
Bobby McMahan	....	assistant camera (as Robert A. McMahan)
Tim Metivier	....	first assistant camera
David Norris	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Philip A. Reilly	....	electrician
Daryl Richardson	....	best boy rigging grip
Shayna Ritenour	....	camera loader
Charles Saldana	....	key grip (as Charles Sadana III)
T. Daniel Scaringi	....	key rigging grip
Wayne Simpson	....	lighting technician
Bruce D. Spellman	....	grip
Andrew Towne	....	electrician (as Andy Towne)
William Trautvetter	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Doug Wall	....	best boy grip (as Douglas L. Wall)
Charles W. Wayt	....	dolly grip (as Chuck Wayt)
Merie Weismiller Wallace	....	still photographer (as Merie W. Wallace)
Jason Bowen	....	rigging grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Mary L. Agnes	....	extras casting assistant
Matt Bouldry	....	location casting assistant: Boston
Olivia Harris	....	casting associate
Geoffrey Miclat	....	casting assistant
Carolyn Pickman	....	location casting: Boston
Jodi Purdy-Quinlan	....	extras casting assistant: Boston (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brian Callahan	....	costumer
Ann Culotta	....	costumer
Lynda Foote	....	costume supervisor
Parrish Kennington	....	costume ager/dyer
Mem Macafee	....	costumer
Deborah Newhall	....	costumer
Julie Shack	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Michael Cipriano	....	assistant editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
Gary Roach	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Patrick Hollenbeck	....	orchestrator
Gennady Loktionov	....	special musical arrangements
Shawn Murphy	....	scoring mixer
Lennie Niehaus	....	conductor
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator
Craig Pettigrew	....	assistant music editor
Bruce Ricker	....	music consultant

Transportation Department
Denise Avallon	....	driver
Keith Dillin	....	transportation coordinator
Roy A. Grace	....	driver
Jennifer McGaffigan	....	transportation office coordinator
William O'Brien	....	driver
Alana Stelling	....	driver
Larry Stelling	....	transportation captain (as Larry L. Stelling)

Other crew
Kokayi Ampah	....	supervising location manager
Marco Barla	....	unit publicist
Michael Bilog	....	second assistant accountant (as Michael I. Bilog)
Robert Cable	....	first assistant production accountant
Ken Dubinski	....	technical advisor: Massachussets State Police
Khadj Edison	....	production assistant
Ashaki 'Saki' Fenderson	....	production assistant
Mark Fitzgerald	....	assistant location manager
Joe Gagnepain	....	location assistant
Jason Gondek	....	production accountant
Susan Grennan	....	production assistant
Pam Jack	....	location scout
Mark David Katchur	....	project coordinator (as Mark D. Katchur)
Tony Kerum	....	caterer
Don Kincade	....	set production aide (as Donald A. Kincade)
Micki Krimmel	....	production assistant
Mable Lawson-McCrary	....	script supervisor
Stephen L'Heureux	....	assistant to director
Stephen L'Heureux	....	location scout
Deana Lou	....	assistant: Mr. Eastwood
James MacDonald	....	on-set medic
Robert L. Manning	....	technical advisor: Massachussets State Police
Christine M. Michalosky	....	technical advisor: Boston Police Department
Adam Monahan	....	production assistant
Greg Newman	....	production assistant
Michael Peavey	....	helicopter pilot
Scooter Perrotta	....	set production assistant
Todd Poudrier	....	stand-in: Sean Penn
Kim Quam	....	set medic
Liz Radley	....	video and graphics supervisor
Luke Ramsey	....	assistant location manager
Nadia Randazzo Bombino	....	third assistant accountant (as Nadia Randazzo)
Bill Richards	....	helicopter pilot
Stephanie Ritenour	....	set production aide
Michael Roccuzzo	....	payroll accountant
Jenniphur Ryan	....	assistant production office coordinator
Karen Shaw	....	production coordinator (as Karen E. Shaw)
Jody Steiner	....	technical advisor: sign language
Donovan Terranova	....	assistant location manager
Tyrel Ventura	....	set assistant: Sean Penn
Brenda Vivian	....	production assistant
Chuck Webb	....	set production aide
Stephanie M. Webster	....	office production assistant
Bryan Farrell Wilson	....	stand-in
Brian Paul Carlson	....	location assistant (uncredited)
Ptah Shabaf	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)
• NPV Entertainment (in association with)
• Malpaso Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2003) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cinergia (2003) (Ukraine) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2003) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2008) (Finland) (TV)
• Net5 (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vidéo (2004) (France) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (opticals)

Other Companies

• Avid Film Composer  Avid editing
• Avon Studio Transport  transportation
• Boston Fire Department  thanks
• Boston Red Sox  thanks
• Boston Symphony Orchestra  orchestra
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• City of Boston  thanks
• City of Canton, Massachussets  thanks
• City of Chelsea  thanks
• Columbia TriStar  thanks (John Carpenter's 'Vampires' courtesy of)
• Intermedia  thanks (John Carpenter's 'Vampires' courtesy of)
• Kodak  film stock
• Location Lodging Worldwide  travel and accommodations
• Major League Baseball Properties  baseball footage courtesy of
• Major League Baseball  trademarks
• Malpaso Records  soundtrack published by
• Massachusetts Film Office  special thanks
• Massachusetts State Police  thanks
• Massachussetts Port Authority  thanks
• NEEI Radio Network  thanks
• Panavision  lighting
• Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common  thanks
• Sequoia Illumination  lighting
• Sheraton Boston Hotel  thanks
• Symphony Hall, Boston  music recorded at
• Tanglewood Festival Chorus  orchestra
• The Saturday Evening Post  licence (as The Saturday Evening Post Society)
• Tony's Food Service  catering
• Vista Group  thanks
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack published by

MPAA:

Rated R for language and violence.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (cut) | India:A | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 (bw) | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39873)

Filming Locations:

Bear dens, Long Crouch Woods, Franklin Park, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

At a press conference for his movie Mystic River (2003), Clint Eastwood condemned the Iraq war as a "big mistake" and defended Sean Penn's visit to Baghdad, saying he might have done the same thing but for his age.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the conversation between Jimmy Markum and Celeste Boyle during which Celeste reveals she believes Dave killed Katie, Jimmy's arm is around Celeste's shoulder in close-ups, but off on wider shots.

Quotes:

Jimmy Markum: Admit what you did.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Mystic River: Beneath the Surface (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Cosmo

The ties that bind - for the good, the bad, and the in-between.

Three young friends play in the Boston street. They start to misbehave and a car approaches and a man climbs out looking like a cop, acting like a cop and seeming to have police ID. He beckons one boy over. He says they are going to take the boy somewhere (home maybe?) - the others say nothing and look on, glad it isn't them.

However the man is not a cop, he is a child molester/sadist and has taken him to rape and quite possibly later murder. However, several horrific days later, the boy escapes to freedom - nevertheless what happened to him and the two others will never leave them. It marks every day of the rest of their lives: and for Dave (the kidnapped boy) the wounds run very deep in to his flesh.

I am frightened of saying it, but Clint Eastwood is now America's best director: and not only that, he is one of the bravest. This is not the most obvious film. Dark, mean and giving little security blanket to hang on to. Thankfully he has assembled the best cast anyone could ask for and all three co-leads (the three street boys that go on to be men - Sean Penn (Jimmy), Tim Robins (Dave) and Kevin Bacon (Sean)) are excellent. Also worth a mention is Laurence Fishburne as a laconic black cop with a firm but fair attitude.

This film is not really much about women nor is it flattering to them. The later actions of Dave's wife (Marcia Gay Harden) make little sense on any level unless clues lie on unfilmed pages of the Dennis Lehane novel. Further discussion of it would be a spoiler.

The plot could (falsely) read as a whodunit or thriller: Jimmy's (an ex-con who now runs an convenience store) daughter is murdered and two main suspects quickly emerge. A boyfriend who was about to elope with her and the former abused boy Dave who had seen the girl behaving slightly wildly in a bar on the night she was killed. To make things worse Dave had come home late with a stab wound from that very night - he was "stabbed by a mugger," so he says, but the cover story makes no sense.

To complicate things further Sean (Bacon) is now a cop on this very case with female problems of his own. Thankfully they are mostly off screen because this film has enough problems for several movies. He is no longer open friends with Jimmy, but clearly he is viewed as more than just an ex-con trying to make good.

People that have read the book say that it remains true to its pages and that maybe is the reason why things happen slowly and the end is not an absolute full stop. The thriller part of exercise creaks like an old door because we have to believe that the Dave incident was a giant coincidence or he was - somehow - involved. And if so, why?

I was intrigued as to why the three central characters should stay loyal to the area. What keeps them? Especially Dave who everyone views as damaged goods and not a crime victim. Even his own wife. As I said before, Jimmy runs a store (where did he get the money - from crime?) but has a criminal past and maybe even a criminal future if some of the people he is around are anything to go by. This is not a film that believes in total revelation.

I am also puzzled by when the "present day" is meant to be. There is confusion about whose blood was found in a certain place which would have been solved easily by DNA examination. They talk only of blood groups.Hmmm...

Despite its many faults this is serious and skillful film making and while I agree with another reviewer - that television does this kind of the thing better - that isn't to say that this isn't a welcome addition to the cannon of believable (in outline form) street drama involving imperfect people trying to make the best of things in very difficult circumstances.