Mystic River

In the language of the Massachusetts, Menotomet and Pawtucket Indians (Algonquin) it was called the Missi-Tuk, meaning a great river whose waters are driven by waves, and most historians believe that its present name stems from a bastardization of this term. At high tide, flows of salt water used to rush in from the harbor, and at times the current even flowed in both directions at once, which really makes either name appropriate. The Amelia Earhart dam, built in the late 1950s and situated downstream of the conjunction of the Mystic and Malden rivers, now blocks the ocean water inflows, but most anyone who's visited its banks will tell you that it's retained a suspiciously eerie quality. On Rt. 16, around where it intersects with 38 and 28, you'll find absolutely the best view of the Boston skyline, and the best view of any skyline at all that I am privy to.

History:

Prior to the colonization of Massachusetts Bay, the Missi-Tuk, along with other rivers in the waterlogged region, provided the chief means of transportation and food for the three tribes mentioned above. At first, the European settlers used the Mystic in much the same way, but by the mid-1600s they had started to exploit its resources for commercial purposes, including large scale fishing, timber production and agriculture. Shipbuilding soon became the dominant industry, since the river was surrounded by dense forests and provided easy access to Boston Harbor. Once the land was cleared, the surrounding areas were more fully devoted to commercial agriculture. Red clay hills were flattened and reshaped into the buildings, regal and mundane, that dot the area today. Other industries, including meat-packing, tanneries, rope-spinning, soap-making, and pickling factories, automobile plants, and textile mills moved into the area as the Industrial Revolution gathered steam, depositing industrial waste into the current.

Today:

In the late 20th century, many of the manufacturing industries that so heavily influenced the area's character moved their operations to lesser-developed countries in the third world, to take advantage of cheaper labor. This allowed for a sort of environmental reclamation that feeds on peoples' desire for open space. The river is used for fishing and boating, and surrounding areas feature parks and even some hiking trails. Unfortunately, merely opening space up does not clean it up. A recent meeting of a planning commission for the area addressed a conflict between environmentalists, who want a high biodiversity rate in open spaces, and residents who want more soccer fields. And the effects of heavy industry have not been entirely addressed, or even ceased to accumulate. Some plants, including one run by Kraft, continue to pollute the area, and there are 14 Superfund and TRI (Toxics Release Inventory) sites on the riverbanks. According to the EPA, Mystic River water is still unsafe for fishing or swimming.

Mystic River (2003)
Directed By: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay By: Brian Helgeland
Based On The Novel By Dennis Lehane
Starring: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Laurence Fishburne.

Mystic River is a dark tale about personal discovery. Three childhood friends' lives are forever changed when they are confronted for defacing public property. The supposed police demand that the boy, Dave, who doesn't live on that street, go with them back to his mother's home. Dave goes with them, but he does not go home, he is kidnapped and held hostage in a damp, dark cellar. After four days, the boy escapes—no longer a boy, but a man forced to remember these events for the rest of his life.

Cut to present day, the three friends (Dave, Sean and Jimmy) have drifted apart over the years, partially due to the incident. Dave (Tim Robbins) has become an introverted husband and father who does not seem to have an emotional grip on reality. Jimmy (Sean Penn) has gone through his ups and downs, spent time in jail but has settled down for the sake of his family. Suddenly, Jimmy's daughter is found murdered in the woods and his old friend Sean (Kevin Bacon), a homicide detective from the other side of Boston, is assigned the case. The mystery unfolds as suspicions arise about Dave's involvement in the murder.

The film deeply explores the emotions of the many characters; however, these emotions are not always expressed in an ideal way. Sean Penn goes a tad overboard, similar to Al Pacino in some of his over-the-top roles. Kevin Bacon has a clenched jaw as he does his best to play the character that would most likely have been played by Eastwood if he were younger. In fact the only one of the three friends whose character I felt was complete was Tim Robbins's Dave. The audience pities this man, regardless of the possibility that he murdered this poor girl. The self-inflicted torture of his mind is almost as disturbing as the torture applied by the kidnappers from the past.

Eastwood is a master at his craft, which includes acting, directing and composing. He creates a certain atmosphere in all of his films—like Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil and Unforgiven. Mystic River is no different in that respect; the direction and camera-work are spot-on. There are times here I could imagine that I'm viewing real events unfolding before me ... of course Penn's over-acting kills this for me, but it's there briefly.

Brian Helgeland's script is weak. The dialogue, no matter how well the characters present it, still comes off as amateurish and awfully unrealistic. The action is well done, but I give Eastwood the credit in that department. I'm sorry, but I just come to expect more from a guy that wrote the screenplays for L.A. Confidential and Payback. I do suppose he also wrote A Knight's Tale and The Postman, so he's hit-and-miss.

All in all I wanted to love this film, I really did, but I couldn't. The acting was not as great as many critics are giving it credit for and the screenplay was laughable at times. I still love Clint Eastwood with all my heart, I think I'll go watch my copy of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

6/10