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Mystic River

Play trailer 2:20 Poster for Mystic River R 2003 2h 17m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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89% Tomatometer 203 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
When the daughter of ex-con Jimmy Marcus is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Dave, a blue-collar worker, is the last person to see her alive, while Sean, a homicide detective, is heading up the case.
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Mystic River

Mystic River

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by the exceptional acting of its strong cast, Mystic River is a somber drama that unfolds in layers and conveys the tragedy of its story with visceral power.

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Critics Reviews

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David Germain Associated Press 11/12/2018
Eastwood and his actors create a brooding drama whose events and interrelationships seem surreally improbable yet painfully authentic. Go to Full Review
Neil Norman London Evening Standard 01/11/2018
It is a film of magisterial, slow-burning power, one of the finest examples of recent American cinematic storytelling and certainly Eastwood's most mature film. Go to Full Review
Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/26/2010
3/5
Powerful performances in graphic story. Only 16+. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine 01/21/2025
8/10
At first one might assume the film has been set up to be a tense crime thriller. Instead it is a tragedy: the end result is inevitable from the opening scenes. The characters never express any possibility of doing something else. Go to Full Review
David Walsh World Socialist Web Site 02/15/2021
Eastwood's film is rooted in a profound misreading, or more to the point, a profound ignorance of society and human relationships. His false and shallow premises lead the filmmaker to construct an unconvincing, fantastical drama. Go to Full Review
Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News 11/15/2019
Mystic River features a moving screenplay, solid direction and a superb cast highlighted by Sean Penn's Oscar-worthy performance. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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John F @RT84127024 Feb 23 At least this didn't win the Oscar for picture or direction for Eastwood. What exactly were all of these critics thinking? Harden was basically the only good thing to come out of this project: for all the opining over how great the acting was, Penn deserved the Razzie more than he did the Oscar for his overacting. But what made this film so bad was its incredibly mean story that has zero empathy for human beings, bluntly saying victims like Dave are better off dead because they are or have "sullied" souls. And don't get me started about the film's misogyny and how the women are blamed for what happens. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Feb 19 It was a good movie, but very layered. It wasn't as confusing as I previously thought, but still a little. It was too long. Superb cast. It was nice to see Tim Robbins in another movie. He's one of my favorite actors. I just didn't like the character he played. Cool title. See more Trevor S @PopcornPopper Feb 5 Amazing acting! The Dennis Lehane novel was one of my favorites before the movie was filmed. This film does the book much justice. See more Sávio S @s.miranda-7 Jan 29 nao é sobre um caso criminal de um assassinato, é sobre a perca de sensibilidade, o passado se fazendo presente e a perca da amizade que triangula entre a verdade, a mentira e a descrença. baita atuação de Sean Penn Tim Robbins e Kevin Bacon. See more Ryan C. @djrmc24 Jan 1 Mystic River is a powerhouse of a film with great performances all throughout. Clint Eastwood has always been a very talented Actor and Director but I feel this is his best film behind the camera. This film tells a story about a group of friends in Boston who go through a traumatizing event that shapes their lives for the future. The film then fast forwards in time with the same group of friends who all are connected to another life changing event. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins are really amazing in this film and give Oscar type performances. Kevin Bacon is also really good here, along with the rest of the supporting cast. The film really sets things in motion and makes the viewer think one thing when really something else has happened. This is Clint Eastwood’s best directed film. Mystic River gets a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. See more Geo3 F @RT82897544 Dec 31 The acting was superb, the plot got better as the movie went on, what I like about it was the drama towards the end. Overall I dont want to spoil the film so I would say this movie deserves it praise from critics. See more Read all reviews
Mystic River

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Movie Info

Synopsis When the daughter of ex-con Jimmy Marcus is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Dave, a blue-collar worker, is the last person to see her alive, while Sean, a homicide detective, is heading up the case.
Director
Clint Eastwood
Producer
Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Judie Hoyt
Screenwriter
Brian Helgeland, Dennis Lehane
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Malpaso Company, Village Roadshow Prod.
Rating
R (Violence|Language)
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 15, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 2, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$90.1M
Runtime
2h 17m
Sound Mix
Surround
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