Mystic River

Mysterious, intriguing and suspenseful! Mystic River is the best thriller driven whodunit I've ever seen. The story is perfect and the twists and turns and frequent plot changes make it much more unpredictable. Sean Penn delivers the ultimate acting performance, this guy goes instantly into my favorite actors, i love him! The rest of the cast also deserves praise for a job well done, especially the duo of detectives played by Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne. A polished, atmospheric diamond that left me almost breathless! 100% (09/01/2014)

Mystic River is a dark crime drama laced with intimate character studies. With minimal music, this slow, quiet film is certainly not an adrenaline-fuelled thrill ride, but rather a serious human drama that is perhaps even more thought-provokingly powerful in its conclusion than A Perfect World. A visually simple film relying mainly on the actors and editing. The editor could have still done more, but the actors save it. (06/11/2003)

Once again, Clint works flawlessly with human emotions, from love to pure hatred, but this time it's not so much to his credit as to all the excellent actors who play such an atmospheric and chillingly patient game that the depressing finale made me want to scream and quickly shake it all off. Unfortunately, the compelling and simply-framed psychological storyline fights too hard for attention with the detective plot, which rings a bit hollow and is ultimately not as crucial to the story as the frequency of all the interrogations and new leads might suggest. Other than the aforementioned finale, there aren’t any wow-sequences that would be permanently etched in our memories, the kind Eastwood usually delivers aplenty in his masterpieces, so I have no choice but to bring up Sean Penn and Tim Robbins again, without whom this time it wouldn't have been quite the same – but Clint probably knew who to cast :))) 80% (09/07/2011)

This is exactly the kind of film I would have instinctively attributed to Clint Eastwood, even without any prior information. His sense for perfectly crafting a story shines through in every moment of the film. Mystic River initially struck me as just another detective film that didn’t stand out, but I was simply fooled. Within a few minutes, Eastwood launched his unparalleled symphony that completely wipes out its competitors. First, I want to talk about the central trio of actors, on whom the film undoubtedly relied. It’s impossible to say who was the best because all of them delivered amazing performances. But if I had to choose, it would be Sean Penn. The atmosphere is truly chilling, and the film maintains a high level of tension throughout its entire runtime. When Brian Helgeland handles a script, there’s nothing for the audience to complain about—they can just sit back and enjoy such a great, airtight story. The music also deserves praise. Once again, it was perfect, but that’s to be expected from Clint. Eastwood is an undeniable genius, and this is one of the best detective films I’ve seen so far. I give it 92%. (20/05/2017)

A dark crime drama with a fantastically intricate plot. Clint Eastwood directs coolly, distantly, and very meticulously. Sean Penn delivers a fantastic performance and the dramaturgy of Mystic River is flawless. It is exactly the kind of film where everything falls into place at the end as it should, but at the same time it is raw, harsh, and unconventional enough to confuse even the ordinary viewer. (17/08/2004)