“Mystic River” stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon as three men linked by a childhood friendship. Each has gone their own way in life, but never really strayed far enough from home to completely split apart. Jimmy Markum (Penn) spent a portion of his life behind bars but is now raising a family and running a neighborhood store, Sean Devine (Bacon) has become a police officer, and Dave Boyle (Robbins)… well he is a haunted man. Haunted by an event in his childhood where he was taken away by two men in a car and held in a basement for 4 days. As for what happened during those 4 days, I’ll leave that to your imagination. Their lives are once again intertwined when Jimmy’s 19 year old daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) is murdered in a city park. They are drawn to one another by support, suspicions and the need to find the killer.

There was a time when I could watch a film like “Mystic River” and remain emotionally detached from the events. This isn’t to say I wouldn't be affected emotionally, but I didn’t have anything to identify with to make it personal. Those days are gone forever. I now have a little baby girl. Every day I imagine what her life might be like as she becomes a teenager, and eventually an adult. I hope I live long enough to see her graduate, have a career and raise a family of her own. But more importantly I hope she lives long enough to see those days. Watching “Mystic River”, I am reminded of all the predators that live in our world. Though I have thankfully not had the experience that Jimmy has in this film, I can identify with the anguish he experiences over the loss of his daughter. Penn won an Oscar for his performance, and though I balked while watching the Academy Awards, I now understand why he deserved it.

However, I cannot only identify with his anguish, but his eventual turn to anger and the need for vengeance. If I were ever in his shoes, I would undoubtedly do the same thing. If anyone ever hurt my little girl (and she will be my little girl even when she’s 40) I would do everything in my power to track that person down and end any possibility that they would ever hurt another person, regardless of the consequences. Is that right, moral or just? At that point, I wouldn’t care. I can only hope that my revenge doesn’t end as tragically as it does for Jimmy.

Watching “Mystic River”, I was completely drawn in, not so much by the story itself but by the strong performances by every single member of the cast. I would venture to say as strong as the subject matter was, admittedly the overall story and resolution wasn’t as satisfying as the actors were to watch. I mentioned Penn deservedly winning an Oscar, but that honor also went to Tim Robbins for his portrayal of Dave Boyle. I always thought that Robbins was a good actor, even when he did the occasional screwball comedy (“The Sure Thing”). But this is easily one of his best roles to date. Boyle was detached from the world because of his experience, and the haunted look in Robbins eyes, as well as his overall demeanor reflected that perfectly. Kevin Bacon, who is no stranger to strong supporting roles, is in fine form as well. Only the subplot involving his estranged wife seemed a bit odd and out of place.

When the DVD release of Warner Brother’s “Mystic River” hit my doorstep, I was ecstatic. I had heard so much about the film, and I was very much looking forward to watching it. And again, despite the fact that the story itself had its weaknesses, Clint Eastwood’s direction once again proved to be very strong. I’m often amazed at what a good eye he has for a film’s flow, even when the subject matter seems so far from what we expect from him. Having been the tough as nails gunslinger and cop for so many years, I remember being surprised at what a terrific job he did directing “The Bridges of Madison County.”

What did surprise me about the release was that Warner Brothers opted to go with a 3-disc set. Well, technically it’s a 3-disc set. The 3rd disc is actually a CD with the film’s soundtrack. This may or may not appeal to you, it just all depends on whether or not you’re into movie soundtracks as much as I am. Eastwood also wrote the score, and it is a fine one. But again, you really need to be into soundtracks to get anything out of this extra disc.

The fact hat there are 2 actual DVDs, however means there are more than just a few extra features, though not as many as you might expect. The first is on Disc 1, and it comes in the form of an audio commentary by actors Robbins and Bacon. Generally I really like it when members of the cast do commentaries, and this one is no different. Though it would have been nice to have ol’ Clint join ‘em.

Disc 2 offers up a couple of documentaries, the first being a tour of sorts of Boston’s Mystic River by author Dennis Lehane. It includes comments from Eastwood and several members of the cast. The second is a ‘Making of…’ featurette, which is fairly short, but still has much to offer. The best of the extras however, are three separate interviews with Clint Eastwood, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon taken from “The Charlie Rose Show.” They are all fairly long, and Rose is a great interviewer.

The overall quality of the movie is high, the only exception being that there are a lot of scenes that are very dark and in those scenes a lot of detail is lost. Not having seen it in the theatre, I cannot tell you if this is the transfer, or the way Eastwood shot those scenes.

“Mystic River” is an emotionally powerful film. Again I mention, not so much for the story, but because of the performances. If you’re a parent, especially of a daughter, I pray you never feel Jimmy Markum’s anguish.

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney
Extras: Commentary by Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, Mystic River - Beneath the Surface, Mystic River - From Page to Screen, The Charlie Rose Show - Interviews with Clint Eastwood, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, Theatrical Trailers, Soundtrack CD
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 6/8/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Language and Violence)
Website
Website

We'll give Mystic River an A-.