This is quite possibly the most solid filmmaking I’ve seen in a long time. Solid script, solid lighting, solid, acting – wonderful acting. Sold film work. I understand why it was nominated for Best Picture. And yet, despite it all, I just wasn’t that impressed.

Mystic River isn’t as mystical as it wants to be. It really just boils down to a who-done-it murder mystery. There are some psychological threads about child-abuse thrown in to give it a sort of X-Files feel, but it didn’t go much further.

To tell the truth, the child abuse thread is actually the primary thematic one. While three kids are playing in the street, one is abducted and abused before he escapes a few days later. We then meet the three as adults. Dave (Tim Robbins), the one who was abused as a kid, still struggles with its nightmares. The other two, Jimmy (Sean Penn) and Sean (Kevin Bacon) are still haunted by what might have happened had it happened to them.

Things become complicated between the three as Jimmy’s daughter is found murdered. Sean is the police detective and Dave is the suspect. Laurence Fishburne plays Bacon’s partner as they hunt down the murderer.

While the child abuse aspects do lend an interesting psychological light to the story, some times it feels as if the film were a commercial being made by some anti-abuse foundation, much in the same way John Q identified the problems with the current state of health care.

Other scenes seem forced in other ways. Though the acting truly is fantastic on the part of everyone – especially Penn and Robins, who deserve their Oscars – some of the scenes feel like they were being played out just for the sake of another dramatic acting opportunity. Similar things can be said about the dramatic, but seemingly unnatural lighting. Technically speaking, the film is almost too good. As in, it seems to be constantly aware of how good it is.

But it is good. Constantly engaging and emotionally compelling, Mystic River brings us into a dark, sad world that remains haunting long after the film’s end.

Year: