Mystic River (2003)

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them has a family tragedy.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Brian Helgeland (screenplay), Dennis Lehane (novel)

Stars:

Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon

Won 2 Oscars. Another 53 wins & 142 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Penn	...	Jimmy Markum
Tim Robbins	...	Dave Boyle
Kevin Bacon	...	Sean Devine
Laurence Fishburne	...	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

Storyline

In the summer of 1975 in a neighborhood in Boston, 3 kids, Dave Boyle and two of his friends, Jimmy and Sean, are playing on the sidewalk when Dave gets abducted by two men and endures several days of sexual abuse. Eventually, Dave escapes traumatized throughout adulthood. Jimmy is an ex-con and a father of three, whose daughter Katie, is found dead and Dave becomes the number one suspect. Sean is a homicide detective, investigating Katie's murder, ends up finding himself faced with past and present demons as more is uncovered about Katie's murder. Learning Katie had a boyfriend, ballistics later turn up a gun belonging to the father, which then puts her boyfriend as the suspect. Will Sean find out who killed Katie? Will Jimmy make it through the investigation? And will Dave ever find out what really happened when he was abducted?

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | sexual abuse | childhood friend | child molester | irish american | 

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Taglines:

The river has many depths. Let it wash over you.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Río místico

Filming Locations:

Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$640,815, 12 October 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$90,135,191

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$156,822,020

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, NPV Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 5 mins) In the beginning of the movie when a young Dave is thrown into the backseat of the car, a man in the front seat turns around and flashes his ring - a bishop's ring. The book never indicates that the character was a priest, but it was added to the film since the filming was right in the middle of the priest scandal in the Boston Archdiocese.

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Goofs

In early street scenes, set in the '70s, there's a "no trucking" sign on a pole that employs the red circle with the line through it, 1980s style.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Radio Announcer #1: ...before the end of the season last year, and then re-injured it in spring training on a terrific game-saving play. You know, I was talking with...
Sean's Father: What time is this going on?
Jimmy's Father: 7:30 is the pre-game.
Sean's Father: Who'd you say was pitching tonight?
Jimmy's Father: Tiant's pitching.
Sean's Father: Goddamn Cuban, man. He can hurl it.
Jimmy's Father: I'd hate to be facing him.

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Crazy Credits

The Warner Bros and Village Roadshow Logos at the beginning of the film, are not animated. They are both coloured Grey and stay in the middle of the screen.

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Connections

References Shallow Grave (1994)

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Soundtracks

Semper Fidelis
(1888) (uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Played by a marching band near the end

User Reviews

An overhyped movie

This movie lacks the vital element - emotions. It is like an ordinary item, packed in a very attractive wrapper, and advertised in very efficient manner. But when at the end of the movie,you blame yourself for relying on the critics for unworthy praise. For the whole movie, you remain detached to every character, and by the time you are out of the auditorium, you have forgotten the movie. You do not sympathetize for any character - not even for the murder victim.

Most of the incidents in movie are unrelated. The friendship between three boys, or the mental anguish Dave suffers due to kidnapping, has nothing to do with the theme of movie. Even if they would not have been friends in childhood, the story could still hold ground, as no hint of friendship is visible in current relationship.

Even the character backgrounds are quite irrelevant. Jimmy is a convenience store owner, but also a mafia. Sean is separated from his wife. I wonder if this aspect really helped the movie anyway. As for Dave, I wonder, if he ever worked to sustain his family. All the time, he is seen walking on the street like a drunk man.

The movie tries too heavily to create a feeling analogus to "Road To Perdition". Typical grey looks, old buildings, no glamorous characters, a pessimistic feeling throughout the movie. However, it ends up like a body without a soul.

An overrated film, but looks more like unrelated incidents coupled together. There is a scene where Jimmy goes to morgue to look at dead body of his daughter. You can clearly see the girl breathing, with the dress on her body going up and down to breathing. I wonder, how director can make such mistake