Mystic River

Director Clint Eastwood takes his time unveiling the nuances in this Oscar-nominated adaptation of Dennis Lehane's tragic mystery novel about a daughter's murder that draws three now-distant childhood friends together again. Set in the downtrodden, blue-hued, perpetual dusk of South Boston, Mystic River stars Sean Penn as the powerfully distraught, bottled-up ex-con whose teenage daughter is killed; Kevin Bacon as the exacting homicide detective on the case; and Tim Robbins as a meek, unstable wreck whose kidnapping by a sexual predator when the three principals were boys shook their friendship and shaped their lives, and who has become a prime suspect. Mystic River doesn't always rise to match the exemplary efforts of its expressive director and thespians (including Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney as Robbins' and Penn's wives), but it's more than good enough to overlook most problems, save one: the last act's failure to truly complete a narrative or emotional arc. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 2, 2010—Warner, 138 min., R, $28.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's Mystic River boasts a great transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by costars Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, interviews from The Charlie Rose Show with filmmaker Clint Eastwood, Robbins, and Bacon (112 min.), a “Beneath the Surface” location featurette with author Dennis Lehane touring the Boston neighborhood (23 min.), a “From Page to Screen” featurette on adapting the book (12 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for a solid thriller.]