Mystic River (Blu-ray)
11:45 AM February 5, 2010
MYSTIC RIVER
Warner Brothers / 2003 / 123 mins / Rated R
It’s rare when a movie earns both best actor and supporting actor Oscars. Mystic River is one of those exceptions. In 2003, both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins took home the honors for Clint Eastwood’s slow-burn masterpiece. And for good reason…
… an acting tour de force, Mystic River contains stand out performances by both Penn and Robbins, as well as Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney. The story of three friends from Boston whose lives are intertwined after one of their daughter’s is found murdered.
MYSTIC RIVER released February 2, 2010 on Blu-Ray for the first time!
The movie begins during a summer in 1975, as Dave Boyle and two friends, Jimmy and Sean, are playing on a sidewalk in Boston when Dave is abducted by two men and subjected to sexual abuse over a period of several days. Eventually escaping, but haunted into adulthood by his trauma, Dave (Tim Robbins) becomes a primary suspect when Jimmy (Sean Penn) discovers the tragic news that his daughter is found murdered. When Sean (Kevin Bacon) is assigned to investigate the crime, the ties of friendship quickly unravel as the mystery unfolds from both the past and present.
For his part, Sean Penn plays the role of Jimmy Markum with a heartbreaking honesty. You feel his rage at the discovery of his daughter’s murder and the compassion for his need for revenge towards her killer.
Tim Robbins deservedly earns his Oscar for portraying Dave as a lost soul, permanently damaged as a child, with a gaping wound that has never healed.
Superbly directed by Eastwood, he never pulls any punches or tries to soft pedal the subject matter. Instead, he grabs you from the start and never lets go—until the film’s ultimate resolve which is both heavy and poetic.
VIDEO
2.40:1 widescreen using the VC-1 codec on a dual-layered BD50 disc. Filmed with a drab, depressing hue -- obviously to reflect the tone -- the transfer is nonetheless picture perfect, with no noticeable defects whatsoever. It’s as if the entire movie were filmed over a cloudy day.
AUDIO
The DTS-HD Master 5.1 delivers, with crystal clear perfection. Dialogue is never muddy, with a few choice stand-out sirens and helicopters towards the end to give your sound system something to do.
EXTRAS
- Commentary with Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon
- Mystic River: Beneath the Surface – a behind the scenes featurette about the making of the movie
- Mystic River: From Page to Screen – self explanatory featurette.
- The Charlie Rose Show - compiled interviews with Eastwood, Robbins and Bacon.
MY SAY
Eastwood is one of this country’s greatest living assets. At the twilight of his career, he continues delivering some of his best work... and Mystic River is no exception. This gem is a mainstay for any movie buff or hardcore film enthusiast.
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