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From:Sean Penn , Tim Robbins , Kevin Bacon , Emmy Rossum , Laura Linney , Warner Brothers , Clint Eastwood , Warner Home Video ,
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User Rating: Amazon Sales Rank:#5068 |
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1 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 You Don't Gain Anything From Watching This Movie, 2008-08-01
I have not read the book, so I cannot comment on that aspect. However, I didn't feel like I learned anything about humanity or the human condition from watching this movie. If you invest this much time in watching something, you hope to feel even just a little bit wiser when it's finished. The characters acted predictably and stayed "true" to their stereo-typical character types. No surprises. The 2 stars are for the relatively good acting and for the directing. Overall, though, watching it was a waste of time.
1 of 2 customers found the following review helpful:
 Great Performances Worth Seeing, 2008-07-11
Particularly in the beginning of the movie as *spoiler*, we learn a girl has died. The reaction of her father and mother is just incredibly believable and something I will remember about this film. Hand him a reward for that and the rest.
The pedo-killer had me thinking he's crazy, and I've seen crazy. Maybe not killer crazy, but I've seen sick people. Again, a very convincing performance. Very believable.
Of course my review would not be complete without at least one complaint (hey, I like to give well-rounded critiques)...I would have liked to have not had the young boys as the killers. It just didn't make sense to me. I don't believe the deaf kid loved his brother so much he'd kill for him nor do I believe the boys accidentally shot a girl then had to finish her off before she squealed. I'm just sayin'...
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Great Movie!, 2008-07-07
I think this movie is very well done. The story and the characters portrayed are both excellent. Tim Robbins plays an extremely disturbed individual, and rightfully so. The grieving Sean Penn and the diligence of Kevin Bacon amongst the back drop of the small network of childhood friends, very well played. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat. And the ending... was not at all what I had anticipated.
Well cast and extremely good acting.
2 of 3 customers found the following review helpful:
Fantastic, 2008-06-15
There is not really much to say about this movie other than if you haven't seen it you need to. It is one of the greatest movies of all time I think.
1 of 4 customers found the following review helpful:
 Nice Try But a Lot of Holes, 2008-05-24
Mystic River begins with great promise. It is photographed excellently with great overhead shots and scene blocking. The viewer is delivered straight into the scene of a horrifying child abduction and it is hard not to share empathy and/or trauma with the onscreen characters.About 30 yrs after the abduction we witness takes place is when the real story begins- a story of three neighborhood friends, one the shell shocked survivor of the earlier abduction (Tim Robbins), one a Boston homicide detective (Kevin Bacon)and one a former thug turned local shop owner (Sean Penn).
When Sean Penns late teen daughter is murdered, the three former buddies are reunited in the gritty Boston neighborhood of their chidhood.
There are some great moments here- director Clint Eastwood recreates the shock and disbelief that comes with unspeakable tragedy very well and he does an excellent job illustrating a fathers trauma and the very sad and surreal hours after the initial murder.
Mystic River failed me several ways. For such a compelling opening and build-up you will likely be disappointed by the plot turns the script takes. Implausible chains of events, past relations and a "perfect storm" timeline that confuses investigators. If the plot is examined realistically (Occams Razor anyone?) it becomes improbable and something more suited for a Cinemax straight-to-video erotic thriller. Minus the erotic of course.
Film budget and maybe more could have been saved by shooting Mystic River without the three big stars in the three big roles. Unknown or little know talents could have brought more credibility to the roles, particularly of Sean Penns New England tough guy act that wears thin and Tim Robbins basket case abuse victim who is good at affecting the facial expression of a damaged and lost soul but little else. Again, casting botches by trying to push the "versatility" of the leads when they could have made a better film even with known entities like Denis Leary or Chazz Palmenteri.
There are some great support roles. Marcia Gay Harden is first rate as the troubled wife of a troubled man whose inner fears and loyalty clash with every move of her eyes.Laurence Fishburne is very buyable as Kevin Bacons homicide detective partner who provides a certain clarity because of his lack of connection to the neighborhood crime scene. Eastwood does wrap things up nicely, though , with a couple of well acted/directed scenes that are very thought provoking despite the plot defects.
Flawed, but still worth a look.
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