[.ca] Mystic River (Widescreen)

Amazon.ca:
De nouveau derrière la caméra, Clint Eastwood (Bird, Le Cavalier solitaire) signe avec Mystic River un excellent thriller à la sauce noire. Adapté du roman de Dennis Lehane par le scénariste Brian Helgeland, qui avait déjà exercé sa plume pour Los Angeles Interdite, le film réunit un trio exceptionnel : Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn et Tim Robbins, ce dernier ayant d'ailleurs reçu pour son rôle l'oscar 2004 du meilleur acteur. Ancien truand reconverti dans la vie de famille tranquille, Jimmy Marcus (Penn) réside sans plus d'histoires dans les quartiers populaires de Boston, jusqu'à ce que sa fille, 19 ans, soit assassinée. Ce drame le fera ironiquement renouer avec deux de ses amis d'enfance : l'un, Sean (Bacon) chargé de l'enquête ; l'autre, Dave (Robbins), principal suspect. Présenté sur trois DVD bourrés de bonus enrichissants (entrevues avec Eastwood et ses comédiens, visite guidée par Lehane de Boston, documentaire sur l'adaptation), Mystic River est un film âpre nous plongeant au coeur des âmes troubles de ses personnages. Psychologiquement bien développés et formidablement interprétés, ces derniers sont réellement l'épine dorsale du film, qui repose également sur une réalisation sobre et minutieuse. Trouvant dans l'oeuvre de Lehane un écho aux thèmes qui lui sont chers depuis Unforgiven (la corruption, la vengeance, la responsabilité), Eastwood expose avec délicatesse les ravages de la pédophilie et déroule le ruban de cette tragédie bostonienne avec une grande maestria. - Helen Faradji

Eastwood must have lost his marbles:
I cannot go into how many ways this films bothers me or I would be playing spoiler. Oh, how I wished I had read the spoilers first! It was tightly directed, though with a style and feel that echoed a much better film, A Perfect World. But unlike A Perfect World, where the were good guys, bad buys and bad guys who had good in them, this film has no one that is likeable, no one you can respect. Worse, it has no remorse, and that is SO sad, no redemption. Bacon, Penn, and Robinson put in strong performances in their going nowhere roles. I admired Eastwood's flair in A Perfect World, an emotional film that touched you on all levels. Only this movie...well, you want to wash after watching it. You cannot empathize with Penn's character, even though the murder of his 19-year-old daughter is the focal point of the film. Sorry, to point all the problems of this film one would have to go into spoilers left and right (I wish someone had told me the spoilers before!). There are devises that have no place in the film, that do nothing to further the storyline, just Eastwood's sense of quirky? Quirky worked in A Perfect World, quirky worked in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Quirky in this films was an insult to the intelligence of the viewer. I have loved Eastwood since his Rowdy Yates days, and marveled all the films he has starred in or directed ever since. But this one just is so pointless. This movie has a lack of honor, of true caring, of heart and it just hurts to see such talent put to such a useless waste of 2 1/2 hours. My best advice - Rent this film before you buy or - be sure to read all the BAD reviews before making up your mind. Most people will not enjoy the senseless violence and to no end. Most people will not like the total remorse in nearly all the characters.

Stale As Month-Old Potato Chips:
I was quite surprised at how bad this movie was. Perhaps it was just me, but I was looking forward to a Unforgiven-type directoral masterpiece from Mr. Eastwood and the stars Robbins and Penn. Given the hype this movie recieved (and the oscar nods to its 2 main stars and director Eastwood) I was really ready to sink my viewing teeth into something substantial. Unfortunately, this movie was as stale as a bag of month-old potato chips. I never really came to symphathize at all with Sean Penn's character, even though his daughter was murdered. I mean, seriously, how can you symphathize with a criminal (Penn's character) who barely was involved in his kid's life to begin with? Perhaps if the movie had shown a more deeper relationship between Penn and the kid then I could have cared more about the outcome. As it was all my sympathy went to Tim Robbins character, sexually molested as a child and then basically forgotten by his so-called "buddies". In my opinion Tim Robbins is the only reason to watch this movie. He walks around with an aire of utter hopelessness (reminiscent of the character he played in Jacob's Ladder), and yet he tries so hard to get passed the mental anguish of his past and make it through each day as an adult that by the end you are cheering for him. Which brings me to the other reason why this movie stinks - the ending. Like in a good novel, the reader/viewer doesn't want to be cheated in the end. I don't want to give away the ending, but be warned - it stinks. All in all there really wasn't any substance to most of the characters, and I found myself toward the end wondering why I should even finish watching it. I like to be absorbed by characters played with heart and substance. Watching these jokers (except for Robbins) was like watching carboard cutouts being moved around on a stage.

Mystic River..The Ending Bites:
First off..someone please tell Clint Eastwood to back away from the camera slowly and never ever direct another film. As far as everyone who raves about this film..you have lost all cred. I supposed your enthralled by shiny objects too. The ending was ridiculous....my daughter is killed..lets go to a parade?????? The fact that this drivel was considered genius in two mediums is baffling...more proof that everything is watered down beyond hope...whoever says this is a classic- I have some old home movies..you wanna shell out money to see those too???

Good start but really stupid ending:
This movie was going good for me then the ending was so dumb that it ended up ruining the whole thing.....anyhow started good then went to crap.

For my money, Clint Eastwood gave a crowning achievement as a director:
Again, I haven't read the book however the Movie does it all. I am sure there are things we all wish to forget. Moments in time in which our lives and the lives of others are altered by one singular movement, one phrase, or that one hockey shot that was just out of reach. Nothing is more true when it comes to the lives of Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins). Mystic River is an emotional and amazing film about the reconciliation of three friends and their wives by the tragic murder of Jimmy's eldest daughter, Katie Markum (Emmy Rossum). This rough Boston suburb that lies on the bank of the Mystic River is thrown into sorrow and misery over the loss. Jimmy (Penn) makes a vow to find the killer of his daughter and end him and throw him into the Mystic. The story is superb. Twists and turns and changing plot lines makes this story brilliantly unpredictable. It proves nothing is what it seems. Dealing with issues of child abduction and the effects it has on the future, Mystic River watches and deals with the change n the course of someone life. What something would be like if Dave hadn't gotten into that strangers car? Katie Markum would never had been born to be murdered. The acting is bar none and has been recognized by the Academy by awarding Sean Penn and Tim Robbins best actor and best supporting role at the Oscars. Sean Penn was incredible in this film. He was so into his character. An angry gangster trying to move on with his life, and get out of his life of crime and deceit. To love his children and to be the best father he can be. Strong and determined, hard and angry he tries to deal with the grief of the loss of his last real memory of his late first wife. Penn is perfect in performing this role. Tim Robbins is also and incredible actor. A man who had been abused neglected. Finally admitting to himself of the abuse he felt. He kept himself bottled and up. An angry and almost psychopathic man, who is doing his best to try and overcome the terrors he experienced by hopping in the car. An ensemble cast also included: Laura Linney, Marcia Gay Haden, Laurence Fishburn. Mystic River is truly amazing. Clint Eastwood is an incredible director. If you like Million Dollar Baby then you will simply love "Mystic River." Not to be missed.