There is nothing shallow about director Clint Eastwood's newest movie, "Mystic River."
Instead, the dark and emotional tale of three friends is far deeper than just the basic murder mystery.
The story unfolds in an Irish Boston neighborhood where three boys are forever changed. Dave (Tim Robbins) is the victim of two child molesters who held him captive for four days before he could escape. The three grow apart and into lives that are anything but happy.
Now all grown up, Jimmy (Sean Penn) is an ex-con who owns a liquor store and Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a cop. Dave has gone on with life but seems to have been forever scarred by the kidnappers.
Their worlds are intertwined again as Jimmy's oldest daughter turns up dead in a park. After a series of clues point to Dave, Sean and Jimmy are forced to evaluate their friendship with him.
Nothing in this film should be taken at face value. Dialogue often sheds light on the character's real motives and feelings.
These three men must struggle to examine their humanity and how a friend returned to them forever changed. Its edgy story grips audiences and can twist their emotions, showing the dark underbelly of characters struggling to find normality in their unsettled lives.
The story is like a Nicholas Ray flick - darkly textured with layers to each character. Eastwood has had a run of bad luck with mediocre films, such as "Blood Work" and "True Crime." Both had predictable plots and seemed to be nothing more than something for the die-hard Eastwood fan. It's nice to see him bounce back with a far superior thriller. Even his slow pacing doesn't destroy the film but rather adds to the tension of the situation.
The screenplay is from a novel by Dennis Lehane and was adapted by screenwriter Brian Helgeland. While Helgeland's name has been attached to several hits and turkeys, this movie is one of his best.
Instead of being a whodunit, the audience has characters whom they can identify with, feel compassion for and be surprised by. These are not one-dimensional personalities, but fleshed-out characters who are struggling with inner demons - Dave especially.
The three actors who star in this movie must have jumped at the chance to be in this moody tale of murder. While Bacon's character is probably the least interesting, the audience does get caught up in the side story of his inability to show emotion to his family.
Penn and Robbins get the much deeper and emotionally charged roles. Penn seems obsessed with the wife and child he left behind when he went to prison, while Robbins plays the troubled Dave with such emotion that it's hard to tell the actor hasn't experienced such a trauma.
These three are backed up by a wonderful supporting cast, which only makes for a richer and deeper story. Dave's wife is played by Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, and she does a fantastic job showing the tension in her relationship with Dave. There is also a hint that her character could be secretly in love with Jimmy.
"Mystic River" should be remembered around Oscar time. Its actors, director and screenwriters have created a highly nuanced film about the darker side of life. Much like the title of the film, the surface only hides how deep the story and its characters run.
