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Mystic River (2003)
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Since his undoubted masterpiece Unforgiven Clint Eastwood's directorial career has been disappointingly uneven, with the likes of Space Cowboys and Blood Work indicating that he might be a spent force. This was a welcome return to form — an ambitious, well-crafted adult drama featuring sterling performances from an excellent cast that only just misses greatness by a whisker. Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon play childhood friends whose lives are shattered when Penn's daughter is brutally murdered, an event that forces them to confront a horrific episode from their own shared past. Eastwood directs with crisp efficiency, but Brian Helgeland's screenplay somehow fails to convince, emerging as a sequence of well-written individual scenes rather than an integrated whole, while the plot relies too much on coincidence. Judged to the highest standards, this is a flawed piece of work, but it still ranks as must-see, grown-up cinema. AS
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| Contains swearing, violence. |
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Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.
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Running time
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132min
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Country of origin
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US / Aus
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Genre
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Murder mystery Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Brian Helgeland, from the novel by Dennis Lehane
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Theatrical distributor
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Warner Bros
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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October 2003
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UK video release date
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June 2004
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 2003 |
Actor in a Leading Role |
Sean Penn |
Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Actor in a Supporting Role |
Tim Robbins |
Winner |
| Academy 2003 |
Actress in a Supporting Role |
Marcia Gay Harden |
Nominee |
| Academy 2003 |
Best Picture |
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Nominee |
| Academy 2003 |
Directing |
Clint Eastwood |
Nominee |
| Academy 2003 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Brian Helgeland |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
Sean Penn |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role |
Tim Robbins |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
Laura Linney |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Brian Helgeland |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Director Motion Picture |
Clint Eastwood |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
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Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama |
Sean Penn |
Winner |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Motion Picture |
Tim Robbins |
Winner |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Screenplay Motion Picture |
Brian Helgeland |
Nominee |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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