A “masterpiece” drama that won two Oscars is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Mystic River (2003) tells the story of Jimmy (Sean Penn) Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins), three childhood friends from an Irish-American neighbourhood in Boston, whose friendship was shattered by a horrific event in their youth.
They drift apart, with their lives going in a dramatically different directions. Decades later, the trio are brought together by the tragic murder of Jimmy’s daughter, in a gripping drama about revenge, guilt, and trauma. The star-studded cast also includes Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laura Linney. It was directed by Clint Eastwood from a Brian Helgeland screenplay, and was based on Dennis Lehane’s 2001 novel of the same name. The film was critically acclaimed, with Penn winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance and Robins getting the Best Supporting Actor award.
One, writing in 2008, said: “I don’t know how else to describe this movie other than gut-wrenching. This is a very difficult movie to watch, but I think it is extremely well made and delivered with brilliant performances. The subject matter is very heavy and is not a feel-good movie in the least.
They added: “Clint Eastwood as director is a genius. I think this and “Million Dollar Baby” are his crowning masterpieces. I think he gets better the older he gets. He certainly hasn’t lost his touch.”
Another said the film is: “Extremely dark with a strange twist at the end. Well made and worth watching.”
A third called it a “terrific and well crafted movie, Eastwood’s most subtle work by far”. “Tim Robbins has a stellar performance, while Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn do the best work of their careers.
“This movie will keep you guessing, and make you think more than you ever expected an Eastwood movie would.
A fourth said: “You won’t appreciate the brilliance displayed in this movie the first time you see it. You won’t notice the nuances and the subtle details in each character’s evolution until you step back from it.
“I personally thought it was dull the first time I saw it. It appeared to be the cookie cutter drama. How wrong I was. This movie captures the emotion of the characters and relays them to the viewer better than any movie I’ve seen since “The Shawshank Redemption.”
The film has a 15 certificate, deals with troubling themes and contains violence and strong language – so viewer discretion is advised.
Mystic River was added to Amazon Prime Video on Saturday, August 22. It’s also available to stream on other platforms including Netflix, and HBO Max.
