Mystic River (15)

From the Echo, first published Friday 17th Oct 2003.

THIS is the tale of three childhood friends who drift apart after one of them is abducted by paedophiles while playing in the street and kept in a basement until he manages to escape four days later.

Years afterwards the three are reunited in tragedy when one of their daughters is murdered.

From the beginning you're kept on your toes as it is not made fully clear, without remembering names from the opening scenes, exactly who the main characters are.

The film seems to move slowly at the beginning, building tension, which makes for some great moments between husband and wife Dave (Tim Robbins) and Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden).

Dave Boyle is a man tormented by the trauma of child abuse, which continues to have a devastating effect on him as an adult.

When he arrives home after a late night out drinking covered in blood, his wife Celeste finds it difficult to trust a man who is clearly unstable and is eventually overcome by her fears.

Tim Robbins produces an outstanding performance as Dave Boyle but there is some great acting throughout the film.

Sean Penn also gives the film a character of depth and subtlety as Jimmy, a devoted father and local villain.

He becomes angry about the cops' failure to catch his daughter's killer quickly enough and takes up his own investigation using his connections with violent criminals to carry it out.

Kevin Bacon's work is less inspirational as Sean, the third of the boyhood friends, now the police officer in charge of the murder investigation.

Sean's life is far from perfect, his wife has left him and he doesn't know why.

This is a well-made film with a strong script and great casting.

There's a lot of energy in the characters but unfortunately the film doesn't gain a lot of momentum until the plot finally unfolds.

However, later scenes feature good direction - from Clint Eastwood - which brings their violent nature crashing to life.

See it at the Odeon

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