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 55 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, three kids, Dave Boyle and two of his friends, Jimmy Markum and Sean Devine, 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:

We bury our sins, we wash them clean.

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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:

Mystic River

Filming Locations:

Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$640,815, 12 October 2003

Gross USA:

$90,135,191

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$156,595,191

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

In Sean Penn and Tim Robbins's only previous movie together, Dead Man Walking (1995), both were respectively Oscar-nominated as Best Actor and Best Director. On this one, both were victorious as actors.

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Goofs

When Jimmy is pouring himself a drink, the sound of pouring liquid continues, although the level of the drink in his glass ceases to rise.

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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

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Most Faithful Movie Adaptations (2015)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Mystic River is a well acted and well directed American classic.

When I finally got to watch Mystic River, I was mesmerized by the acting of the ensemble cast. I watched this movie twice, alone and again with my husband. The content of the movie is relevant in any time frame. Upon watching it the second time I noticed "small" things that tied the movie and its characters together. Forgiveness, no I would not classify any of the characters as forgiving. It is very clear that Dave probably never receive counseling for the unspeakable crime done to him as a boy, Jimmy never really let go of his "on edge nerve" and Sean remains the responsible friend but not afraid to face life's messes. To watch a human drama unfold with such sad consequences and heavy retribution on one hand and little to no retribution on the other hand is a depiction that life is not always fair and some of us receive the bounty of life, while others get the smaller piece of pie.

This movie was well acted and well directed. I will never forget Sean Penn's portrayal of Jimmy in this star ensemble cast.