Finally saw Mystic River

I read the book first so I had a good feel for the plot. The book was better but I give Eastwood credit for trying. The acting was evocative and it deserved the high praise although I think LightWizard didn't give it much of a thumbs up

I loved it.

UhOh, panz. As lightwizard goes, so goes the film industry

Or so he would think :wink:

smog, the fact that Penn killed the wrong man, and that kids actually killed his daughter accidentally, is to me, the irony of all ironies.

It sorta ticked me off that not more attention was given to the two perverts that abducted little Tim Robbins. That was a red herring, and only a brief mention was made of their fate.

No one was punished, but all were punished and the Mystic River was the symbol of the cleansing power of water and guilt.

too dark for me.

Well they certainly didn't kill her accidently. If you want to get way, way out it's a cautionary tale about eye for an eye justice and as an extension the awkwardness of capital punishment.

I know, dys, but that's probably the way things went in the neighborhood. Frankly, I thought Clint Eastwood did a great job of directing.

I was expecting something like the movie Identity, which thoroughly bored me, and was entirely too complex to follow.

panz, do you mean that those kids set out to murder that girl because they were jealous of the relationship with the guy (can't remember his name) that was the older brother? Hmmm. I thought they just wanted to scare her.

Folks, that movie was not one bit darker than what happened to an entire family here in Deltona, Florida. (Panz already knows of that)

Eastwood has come a long way from Rawhide, no?

Yes, I give him credit.

The kids were jealous, in my mind, so I'm going to agree with panz.

As for the perverts, well, I don't think they needed to be addressed very much in the story. Their role was within the first few minutes, they had done their damage and impacted the lives of everyone else in the movie in very strong ways. It's almost better to leave them out of the rest of the plot, I think, because then their purpose is even stronger, as men who acted 30 years prior to the bulk of the movie and still caused everything to unfold the way it did.

I didn't get the big whoopdedoo about this movie at all. I so wanted to see it at the theatre but didn't, saw it on dvd instead and boy was I glad that I did. Sean Penn gave you alot of twisted face, hardly an Oscar worthy performance, IMO. As a matter of fact, I thought Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden's performances were stronger than the two male leads. I'll take Tim Robbins in a Robert Altman film over this one anytime.

Good point about the girls. They got shafted for awards with all the testosterone floating over this pic. And smog, you're right on about the perps and their effect on the neighborhood. They started a chain of events that was truly tragic.

Thanks all, for your input.

eoe, I saw the movie on pay per view. Haven't been to the cinema in quite some time. I didn't look at anything concerning awards and stuff. I just posted my own thoughts. I really don't like to have my opinion colored by the critics.

And we appreciate your thoughts. Absolutely.

My opinion was not colored by the critics at all. I simply didn't think Sean Penn's performance was that strong, period, whether he was nominated and won or not. Laura Linney, on the other hand, was rather chilling and Marcia Gay Harden, for me, was a mess just waiting to unravel.

You know, I can't place either one of those women. Did one of them play in The Life of David Gale?

Laura Linney was indeed in David Gale. I saw that a while back. I believe she played a student he murdered or was supposed to have murdered?

I know you don't care about awards and such but Marcia Gay Harden won the Oscar for best supporting actress in "Pollock" with Ed Harris a few years back.

I don't know where anyone picked up on any dislike of "Mystic River," although not my favorite Clint Eastwood film. That would be "Bird." As to whether I dictate where the film industry is going, I only offer my opinion and obviously I'm not afraid to do so whether I agree of disagree. Sometimes I just zip it because a posting is so absurd it's not worth considering. So if you get the silent treatment it's because I don't respect your opinion.

I always love how Eastwood handles his actors even in his lesser movies and I don't think Sean Penn was over-the-top -- it was a bravado performance but tightly controlled.

Wow, Mr. Wizard. You taking me to task? That ain't like you. I always value your opinion on films, as you well know. Sorry if you don't value mine.