"This is an extremely well-crafted and powerful film with searing performances from the all-star cast, most notably Sean Penn and Tim Robbins." Richard Roeper EBERT & ROEPER "A masterpiece of the first order." Andrew Sarris NEW YORK OBSERVER "It would be wrong to single out any one of these performances. Eastwood has assembled a bonanza cast here and each comes out shining." Jeffrey M. Anderson SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER "Eastwood and his terrific cast leave you shaken in ways that matter." Robert Denerstein DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS "While seemingly a straightforward murder mystery in a matter-of-fact setting, it is never quite what it seems, and it percolates with themes and ideas of astonishing richness." Robert W Butler KANSAS CITY STAR

"A whodunnit with a deeply emotional core, thanks to L.A. Confidential scripter Brian Helgeland's richly crafted, textured screenplay and the superb ensemble cast's outstanding individual performances and collective chemistry." Mary Colbert BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE "It is a movie to closely watch and to savour; the confident direction and the flawless ensemble performances are, quite simply, worthy of Oscars." Peter Howell TORONTO STAR "The experience of being so absorbed in a movie and the lives of the people in it, of trusting a director and a writer and actors to take me places completely unexpected, is so rare that I savored every unexpected turn and twist." Terry Lawson DETROIT FREE PRESS "Mystic River is a rare movie that improves on its source material. It was a very good book, but the movie is great." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS "Clint Eastwood's latest directorial effort is perhaps the best film he's ever made." Glenn Kenny PREMIERE MAGAZINE "At nearly 2 1/2 hours, Mystic River proves that a mystery need not be taut to be riveting." Carla Meyer SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

At A Glance The first time Clint Eastwood read Dennis Lehane's best-selling novel "Mystic River" he knew he had to bring it to the screen. "I read the book and optioned it immediately," he recalls. "It's a riveting story with enormous potential as a film. The characters are complex, interesting and well defined." And just as well defined as the finished onscreen product thanks to Eastwoods brilliant direction. For Eastwood, "This film is about real people trying to come to terms with who they are under very tough circumstances. It needs to be done honestly and it needs to ring true. The story can satisfy the audience on several different levels," he says. "The 'whodunit' fans may be happy with just the mystery and absorb the other content in the periphery. Others will get into the background of the characters and the detective story will be meaningful only in relation to the overall tragedy. The story is layered and as each layer gets peeled off, more is revealed. Every time a question is answered it only raises more questions. I'm looking forward to peoples' reactions." So far the reception for "Mystic River" has been good, extremely good. Eastwood seems to have a real knack for directing and "Mystic River" is in fact his twenty fourth film as a director. "Mystic River" is the story of three childhood friends torn apart by a terrible incident which befalls one of them. They will be reunited again as adults. Tragedy strikes one of them when his daughter is murdered. "Murder mysteries are usually only about solving the crime," says Eastwood, "but in this case the story shows how, beyond the murder, all of the participants' lives have been altered by the crime. One gets to see the impact a violent act has had, many years after the fact. It's that tragic circle. All three of these men have unresolved issues in their lives. They have all been traumatized by the past. All became damaged goods." Those damaged goods, Jimmy Marcum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle are played by three of the finest actors of our time Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins. But their roles are made distictly better by three other characters and the actors who play them. Those characters are Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney whose roles are Detective Sergeant Whitey Powers, Celeste Boyle and Annabeth Markum. It is truly one hell of an ensemble cast and one of the finest seen in a drama thriller this year. Once again it was Eastwoods savvy that ensured "Mystic River" had the finest cast available. "I sent the script to Sean Penn and he loved it right away," Eastwood recounts. "Tim Robbins called, and as the word got out, other actors began calling. Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney are both terrific actresses with whom I had previously worked. This was a very pleasant experience because the actors all resonated so well together." All come heavily credentialed and Eastwood had no doubts about their capabilities either as individual actors or as a group working together. With five cast members who are prior Oscar nominees: Sean Penn for Best Actor in "I Am Sam" and "Dead Man Walking" [a film that also garnered Robbins a nomination for Best Director], Laurence Fishburne for Best Actor in "What's Love Got to Do with It", Laura Linney for Best Actress in "You Can Count On Me" and Marcia Gay Harden, who won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Pollock", Eastwood says "I don't think I could have found a better actor for any of the parts in this film. Sean, Tim, Kevin, Laurence, Laura and Marcia are all simply outstanding. I had no doubts about the talent of this cast." So what was the casts reaction to working with Eastwood on this sensational film and the characters they were required to create on the screen? Tim Robbins notes that "The key ingredient in this film is Clint Eastwood. Clint is a true artist in every respect. Despite his years of being at the top of his game and the legendary movies he has made, he always made us feel comfortable and valued on the set, treating us as collaborators and equals. We never got the feeling that he believed in his legend or asked us to honor it, although we did. It was a really great experience. There was never any kind of pettiness on his set; no screaming or stupid emotional displays from anybody, a very professional, adult environment. There is nothing condescending about the man or his crew and it invigorates you, making you feel like you did when you made your first movie." So what was the casts reaction to working with Eastwood on this sensational film and the characters they were required to create on the screen?
Sean Penn adds, "All of us had the sense that Clint's storytelling would give the film a clear humility, so our readings were done in order to make ourselves as familiar as possible with the material. In that way, whatever had to do with nuances and character choices became just a shorthand exchange with Clint and we wouldn't have to refer back to the script. It becomes a cleaner, more decisive process because you know with each take that you can give it everything you have."
Laura Linney describes her character this way. "Annabeth is tough; very, very tough. She's like a mother lion, very protective, with a huge sense of pride and entitlement. She's always on guard, she's got an 'I dare you' quality about her."
Kevin Bacon who plays Sean Devine said, "As adults, all of these men have disconnected from one another. Sean moved away and now he spends all of his time trying to solve homicides. His wife has left him, he's living alone and he has no friends. He is just walking through life like a zombie." So what's the score on his partner Whitey powers then?
"Whitey is truly the outsider amongst all of these people," says Laurence Fishburne. "He doesn't have any familial or friendship connections. The way I would describe the characters is this: Sean Penn is married to Laura Linney, Tim Robbins is married to Marcia Gay Harden and I'm married to Kevin Bacon. The partnerships that cops have are really like marriages." That too, best describes the remarkable film which Clint Eastwood has, with all his years of experience moulded for us to enjoy. It is a marriage of many things, actors, script, music. passion, pain and finality. Surely at last, "Mystic River" will bestow upon Eastwood the highest accolade that can be given to such a consumate performer, director, producer and composer. The highest reverence and respect that no award can give, is to be introduced as; to be refered to as; and to be spoken of as, 'Mr'. It's a title few will gain but one, may I humbly suggest, 'Mr' Eastwood undeniably deserves. Casting About "Mystic River" was directed by Clint Eastwood who's work has been recognized with numerous awards including the "Peoples Choice" Award winner in 1981, '84, '85, '87 and 1998, Dual Academy Award winner for the film "Unforgiven", receipient of the 2003 'Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award', 2003 'Hank Award' [for distinguished service to American music], 1998 'Golden Laurel' Lifetime Achievement Award, 1998 Honourary 'Cesar Award' from the French Film Society, the prestigious Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award 1995, 1993 'ShoWest' Award for Best Director ["Unforgiven" which received four Oscars], Best Director Golden Globe 1989, Cecil B DeMille Career Acheivement Award 1988 and Golden Globe Award for Male World Film Favourite 1971.Clint Eastwoods film credits include "Blood Work" [2002], "The Bridges Of Madison County"[1995], "Unforgiven" [1993],"A Perfect World" [1983], "Sudden Impact" [1983], "The Enforcer" [1976], "High Plains Drifter" [1973], "Play Misty For Me" [1971], "Paint Your Wagon" [1969], "The Good The Bad and The Ugly" [1966], "Ambush At Cimarron Pass", "Away All Boats" [1956 and "Francis In The Navy" [1955].
Mystic River stars, Sean Penn ["Taps" 1981, "The Indian Runner" 1991, "I Am Sam" 2001, "Colors" 1988 and "Casualties Of War" 1999], Tim Robbins ["Toy Soldiers" 1984, "Twister" 1990, "The Shawshank Redemption" 1994 and "The Truth About Charlie" 2002], Kevin Bacon ["Animal House" 1978, "Footloose" 1984, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" 1987 "Wild Things 1998, and "Hollow Man" 2000], Marcia Gay Harden ["The Imagemaker" 1986, "The First Wives Club" 1996, "Meet Joe Black" 1998 and "Pollock" 2001 ], Laura Linney ["Lorenzo's Oil" 1992, "Primal Fear" 1996, "The House of Mirth" 2000, "The Mothman Prophecies" 2002 and "The Life of David Gale" 2003] and Laurence Fishburne ["Cornbread, Earl and Me" 1975, "The Color Purple" 1985, "Boyz N the Hood" 1991 and "Event Horizon" 1997].
"Mystic River" Trivia
Academy Award Winner Marcia Gay Harden ["Pollock"] played Ava Gardner in the 1992 telemovie "Sinatra".
Laurence Fishburne was often credited in his films as Larry Fishburne.
Sean Penn starred in Tim Robbins 1995 film "Dead Man Walking".
Tim Robbins made his directorial debut on the film "Bob Roberts. It won three awards at the Boston film Festival.
Kevin Bacon made his directorial debut on the film "Losing Chase" which received three nominations in the Golden Globe Awards.
Michael Bacon and Kevin Bacon are successful entertainers on the music scene.
Their band "The Bacon Brothers" has recently released its third CD titled "Can't Complain".
Clint Eastwood wrote the original music for "Mystic River".
The soundtrack for the film was recorded in Boston using the world famous Boston Pops Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. The Story The childhood innocence of three young boys is shattered when one of them is involved in a terrible incident. Although they continue to live in the same Boston neighbourhood their paths will not cross till twenty five years later. Jimmy Markum now owns a grocery store, Sean Devine is a Detective and Dave, he is still haunted by the demons from that tragic day way back in his childhood years. As adults they will be thrust back together when one of them loses his daughter through a brutal murder. When two detectives, Sean Devine and Whitey Powers are called to a local crime scene involving an abandoned car splattered with blood, one of them soon realizes that there may be a connection to his past. Then the detectives make a grim discovery in a nearby park, the body of a young woman. It confirms Devines worst fears, it is the daughter of a friend from the past, Jimmy Markum. The distraught Markum calls in local crims the Savage Brothers to help track down his daughters killer. As the tension increases Devine and Powers are faced with the challenge of finding the killer before things get completely out of hand. Before some people take the law into their own hands. The Verdict "Now this is classy. Clint Eastwood proves the critics wrong yet again. Not only does he direct the finest ensemble cast seen this year, he also found time to write the music score. Did I mention that this is one hell of a thriller? Let me say it again for you. This is one hell of a thriller. If you are looking for true adult entertainment then this is it. "Mystic River". Classy cast, classy story, classy directing Mr Eastwood. "Mystic River" is undoutedly the best film in its genre all year." The Cast

Sean Penn Tim Robbins Kevin Bacon Laurence Fishburne Marcia Gay Harden Laura Linney Kevin Chapman Adam Nelson Emmy Rossum Cameron Bowen Matty Blake Andrew Blesser Douglass Bowen Flynn Jonathan Togo Cayden Boyd Charley Broderick Ken Cheeseman Spencer Treat Clark John Doman Brad R Douglas Celine du Tertre Shawn Fitzgibbon Ari Graynor Tom Guiry

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Jimmy Markum Dave Boyle Sean Devine Whitey Powers Celeste Boyle Annabeth Markum Val Savage Nick Savage Katie Markum Young Dave Boyle State Trooper Sibling Cop at Barricade Pete Michael Medical Examiner Dave's Friend Ray Harris Jr Driver Boston Police Officer Nadine Markum Mr Reed Eve Pigeon Brendan Harris

The Crew Directed by Clint Eastwood Produced by Clint Eastwood/Judie Hoyt & Robert Lorenz Executive Producer Bruce Berman Adapted from the novel by Dennis Lehane Written by Brian Helgeland Original Music by Clint Eastwood Cinematography by Tom Stern Film Editing by Joel Cox Casting by Phyllis Huffman Production Design by Henry Bumstead Art Direction by Jack G. Taylor Jr Set Decoration by Richard C Goddard Costume Design by Deborah Hopper Makeup Department Carol A O'Connell Production Management Tim Moore Run Time 137 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2003 - Warner Brothers Entertainment - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved