Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

Catherina If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Peter Kettle This Clint Eastwood directed film, 'Mystic River', is based on the brilliant novel by Dennis Lehane. The word 'stunning' gets overused but the performances by the cast were little short of that. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins deserved their Oscars; Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne; Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney; and a knockout range of fine American actors prove again how deep is the talent in the American movie business. Eastwood's no nonsense direction pushed the narrative along with concision and craftsmanship; he is a master of the subtle 'who did what' drama, such as this, and I bet it came in under budget and on time. (IBDM says $25m budget, box office $157m). My wife and I were gripped by this story of a generation growing up and coalescing later in a Boston suburb. The real Mystic River is seven miles long. It lies to the north of Boston and flows approximately parallel to the lower portions of the Charles River. It flows from the Lower Mystic Lake and travels through the Boston-area communities of Arlington, Medford, Somerville, Everett, Charlestown, Chelsea, and East Boston. The river joins the Charles River to form inner Boston Harbor. And that brought me to Robert Lowell and his Charles River poem, for no good reason other than the sheer quality of the original book, this film and that wonderful poem... All three are superb.

lindseyholy7 There are a lot of reviews on here that have broken this movie down and shown it's fallouts. I will say it was captivating but I believe some more time and thought should have been put into the ending (& into the female roles seeming how they became so important in the end). I wouldn't say it's a waste to watch it but I also wouldn't say it deserved all the credit is has received.

merelyaninnuendo Mystic RiverThe deliverance of the information is the key ingredient that unlocks this marvel, for even though it lacks the essential crisp in it, its impact definitely outgrows the potential. The adaptation by Brian Helgeland is, if not gripping, dark and brutal that stays true to its tone throughout the course of it. Clint Eastwood; as expected, has brilliantly executed the script and holds on to his part of the work with the help of amazing cinematography and fine editing. Sean Penn is achingly good in his portrayal of a troubled parent and is supported by a great cast like Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Lawrence Fishburne. Mystic River flows smoothly off to the shore despite of having some ups and downs and the reason behind it would be none other than Clint and his skills.

ericventura An intense film founded on the slow character and plot development of the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name, Clint Eastwood and the cast convey an emotional depth rarely seen in cinema. The mystery film concerns itself more with the inner depths and mysterious developments of the small community, reflected in the Mystic River, rather than the large overarching case that catalyzes the ensuing events. This is what makes the cinematic masterpiece so beautiful. Each character, each event, each scene, and each tiny detail exist for a reason, paralleling the enormous themes of the film. Mystic River is bigger than the movie itself; it conveys meaning directly to the viewer with vivid emotion.Eastwood works to slowly build his film from the bottom up with carefully constructed tiers: plot, character, time-line, etc. Masterfully inserted flashbacks effectively connect the past to the present in a community where the present is the past. But the powerful performances from the entirety of the cast finish Eastwood's emotional drama. Sean Penn and Laura Linney form the powerful duo of a hurt couple full of love, hope, and purpose. Penn, Robbins, and Bacon make up the childhood trio tied together by an unforgettable past; an emotion seen in the atmosphere of their scenes together. And Penn and Robbins deliver spectacularly in their awkward, suspenseful, misinterpreted, fateful scenes together that shape the entirety of the film and the relationships of the characters in it.Helgeland masterfully adapted Lehane's immense novel into a brief two hours of intensity. The majority of the novel's theme, characterization, and nuance were transferred into the film through dialogue and acting. The characters came alive and the actors became the characters. The fateful story playing out in the piece transcended the screen, taking refuge in the rivers of reality, slowly washing over and then, breaking wave after wave on the viewer.Mystic River is a cinematic masterpiece to be remembered for centuries. It provides a piercing view into community, fate, love, and the effect of the past. It makes simple statements engulfed in reality to create an artistic perfection. The final product is art; the post-production was art; the filming was art; the development was art. And it simply says that fate is fate and Boston is Boston.