Mystic River

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2:20

Mystic River

R

2003

2h 17m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

203 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When the daughter of ex-con Jimmy Marcus is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Dave, a blue-collar worker, is the last person to see her alive, while Sean, a homicide detective, is heading up the case.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by the exceptional acting of its strong cast, Mystic River is a somber drama that unfolds in layers and conveys the tragedy of its story with visceral power.

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David Germain

Associated Press

Eastwood and his actors create a brooding drama whose events and interrelationships seem surreally improbable yet painfully authentic.

Nov 12, 2018

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Neil Norman

London Evening Standard

It is a film of magisterial, slow-burning power, one of the finest examples of recent American cinematic storytelling and certainly Eastwood's most mature film.

Jan 11, 2018

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Powerful performances in graphic story. Only 16+.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2010

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

At first one might assume the film has been set up to be a tense crime thriller. Instead it is a tragedy: the end result is inevitable from the opening scenes. The characters never express any possibility of doing something else.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 21, 2025

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

Eastwood's film is rooted in a profound misreading, or more to the point, a profound ignorance of society and human relationships. His false and shallow premises lead the filmmaker to construct an unconvincing, fantastical drama.

Feb 15, 2021

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Mystic River features a moving screenplay, solid direction and a superb cast highlighted by Sean Penn's Oscar-worthy performance.

Nov 15, 2019

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Diego R.

Muy bien hecha en gral

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/25

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andras gaspar p

This is my favourite movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

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mohamad t

a traumatic piece of ART

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

Full Review

andrea c

Iconico e spettacolare thriller che fin dai primi minuti stringe lo spettatore in un vortice di tensione da cui si rimane costantemente per tutta la durata del film. La sceneggiatura è semplice ma ben eseguita, ogni elemento è al suo posto e vengono ben costruiti tutti i personaggi principali e non, con caratteristiche credibili e peculiari che rendono ognuno di essi centrato e dall'alto valore aggiunto. E poi c'è il cast, spettacolare ed in grado di dare ancora più credibilità alla trama, con tanto di sequenza veramente indimenticabile che probabilmente da sola è valsa la prima statuetta della carriera a Sean Penn. La vera forza del film, sta nell'avere una trama semplice e lineare, sviluppata in maniera egregia, con due filoni che vengono portati avanti contemporaneamente e con estrema qualità; tutto questo per un finale esplosivo e toccante, che arriva dritto al cuore.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/10/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 2 hour and 17 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Violence and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $90,100,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

Full Review

Tony W

Awful film. Some decent actors, some wooden characters and, after a decent start, it quickly degenerates into a dark, depressing mess. Apart from Dave, who has experienced a living hell as a boy, none of the other characters are in the least appealing. So life is not often a bed of roses but this film is a feel-bad movie where an innocent man is shot at the end, and the policeman lets the gangster thug off the hook. A very disappointing, unpleasant two hours. Thanks, Mr Eastwood, for the Wood, the Bad and the Ugly.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

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Clint Eastwood

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Sean Penn

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Mystic River: Trailer 1

2:20

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Synopsis

When the daughter of ex-con Jimmy Marcus is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Dave, a blue-collar worker, is the last person to see her alive, while Sean, a homicide detective, is heading up the case.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Judie Hoyt
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland, Dennis Lehane
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Malpaso Company, Village Roadshow Prod.
Rating: R (Violence|Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 2, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $90.1M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Surround

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