Clint Eastwood darker than ever mystical river
After having signed an effective police film with blood request (2002), Clint Eastwood offered one of his darkest and most violent films. With mystical riveradapted from the novel by Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Gone, darling, gone), the director this time left his mark by presenting, in the heart of Boston, desperate characters shocked by the evil that can appear around the corner.
The film begins with three boys playing in the street. As they enjoy writing their names on the still-wet cement, a man who introduces himself as a police officer scolds them. Jimmy, Dave and Sean they let themselves be intimidated and don’t dare say anything when the man orders Dave to get into his car so he can take him back to his mother’s house. For several days, Dave will be raped by this fake police officer and his accomplice, before managing to escape.
If this first scene sets the tone for the horror that Clint Eastwood is capable of representingis only the first drama of this dark thriller. Years after this event, the three boys, now adults, will be united by a tragedy: Jimmy’s daughter’s deathmurdered and found in the woods by Sean, now an inspector. The same evening of the murder, Dave, who returned home covered in blood, became the prime suspect.
A reference to a terrible event
While Dennis Lehane drew inspiration from his experiences for the introductory scene, Clint Eastwood for his part made direct reference to the unfortunate news of the time. In early 2002, the Boston Globe revealed sexual abuse on many minors from Boston Catholic Priests. A scandal that shook the city and America, and later inspired Reflector (2015), winner of the Oscar. In Mystic River the reference to this story is rather subtle. It is when Dave enters the fake policeman’s car that we see another man turn towards him and show himself a bishop’s ringAdded to this is the reaction of Sean and Jimmy’s fathers who immediately realize that something strange has just happened.
The success of the film
Still, mystical river is considered one of Clint Eastwood’s best films. Because beyond the dramatic aspect and the murder investigation, the feature film presents above all an increase in violence provoked by anger, the desire for revenge and psychological trauma. It is a desperate world that the filmmaker shows, avoiding as always to express the slightest judgment on his characters, whatever their actions.
This approach has largely convinced both the press and the public. With over $156 million in revenue at the worldwide box office, for a budget estimated at just 25 million dollars, mystical river It was a real success for Clint Eastwood and Warner Bros. The press then applauded the director’s proposal. For example, we could read The Obs : “Thriller, film noir and the finest ink, Mystic River captures the elusive complexity of being“. While The Inrockuptible wrote: “Awith an incredible sense of detail and rhythm, Eastwood signs, on the edge of a sidewalk, a moving composition about (and with) good and evil“.
The success of mystical river It was almost total with great rewards. When 76th Academy Awardsthe film was nominated in 6 categories, but won “only” Best Actor for Sean Penn and Best Supporting Role for Tim Robbins. The 2004 Césars did better by awarding Clint Eastwood the award for best foreign filmwhile the American Film Institute Awards named it Film of the Year.
Source: Cine Serie
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