Mystic River (2003/Warner Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C-     Film: C-

 

 

I am a fan of Clint Eastwood the director, but one of my least favorite works of his helming films (whether he appears or not) is his most overrated: Mystic River.  The 2003 hit is one with critical acclaim and based on a book by Dennis Lehane (whose Gone Baby Gone also made for a poor film, but Martin Scorsese has made his Shutter Island into a film, so maybe that will work better) and the film has an intriguing set-up. 

 

Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins play old neighborhood friends (named Sean, Jimmy & Dave) going back to their childhood days in Boston.  Each has a unique history, with Penn involved in criminal activities, Bacon a cop and Robbins a victim of childhood abuse that has held is whole life back.  At least he has a good wife (Marcia Gay Harden), but that does not help when Jimmy’s daughter is killed and it becomes a devastating event.  However, while Dave is a suspect, something much darker and more bizarre is going on here.

 

However, the screenplay by Brian Helgeland (Assassins (1995), Conspiracy Theory, The Postman, The Order, A Knight’s Tale, remakes of Man On Fire and Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3) is a disaster and more of a wreck than many seem to have noticed.  In some ways, there is some “big statement” being made that throws out the mystery element ala Robert Altman’s awful Gosford Park that is supposed to make this a film “above genre” in the most immature way, it is a failure.  Like Helgeland’s script for L.A. Confidential, it is recycled ideas from the genre done better before (Polanski’s Chinatown in that case, Levinson’s Sleepers among others in this one) so there are endless holes and connect problems the film never resolves as the film gets away from Eastwood.

 

One thing the film does have going for it are its actors, all of whom give good performances.  They also include Laurence Fishburne, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum, Spencer Treat Clark and an uncredited Eli Wallach among others, but when you remove all that and really try to connect the narrative, it breaks down in bizarre ways.  To say anything else would result in spoilers, but watch it again with this in mind and see for yourself if you have the patience.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in real anamorphic 35mm Panavision by longtime Eastwood Director of Photography Tom Stern and has some slight color gutting throughout that works against the story.  In addition, the transfer here is softer than expected with some motion blur throughout and detail issues that hold it back versus how good the 35mm prints looked.  The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is on the quiet side being dialogue-based, with music and some sound effects occasionally engaging the surrounds, but it is underwhelming overall.

 

Extras include a Robbins/Bacon audio commentary, Mystic River – Beneath The Surface has Lahane touring the Boston locales his novel takes place in (bet that reads better than the film), Mystic River – From Page To Screen featurette, trailers and Charlie Rose Show installment promoting the film with Eastwood, Robbins and Bacon.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo