This would have been the best movie I've seen all year if it weren't for its last five minutes.

"Mystic River" tells the story of Jimmy Marcus, as he must confront the unsolved murder of his daughter. Marcus, childhood friends with Sean and Dave, is haunted by a thug-like past of crime on the streets of middle-lower income Boston, after he and Sean witness their friend Dave being ubducted by a couple of child molesters.

I'm stopping the plot line summary there, cause it gets so involved as we follow the three characters as adults, where Dave, now with a wife and kid, is a mental wreck, Jimmy has risen to amount some power over the other thugs in the neighborhood and Sean is now a detective working the murder of his friend's daughter.

Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven) steps into the role as director and gives this picture a perfect pace, not to fast, but not to slow to bore everyone. Characters' stories between childhood and present are only given in little bits of dialogue, feeding the audience with the highest of craftsmenship, a credit to writer Brian Helgeland, who unfortunately has "The Order" to his credit this year as well. Helgeland's script is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. Helgeland teases us with two different stories; one, the solving of Jimmy's daughter's murder, and two, what the hell DID happen to Dave when he was abducted, and how did he escape?

Helgeland wrote such a nerve wracking character in Dave, at no time did I in the audience feel comfortable when he is on screen. Plus, I've never heard more frightening dialogue about vampires and wolves.

Style wise, I think "Mystic River" rivals any other picture Eastwood has called the shots for previously, and Sean Penn (Sweet and Lowdown) as Jimmy once again proves why he continues to find challenging work. The man can simply get it done, folks.

Of course, by my set up, the most surprising performance came from Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) as the very screwed up Dave. From his first scene as an adult, Robbins gives an intense manic-depressive vocal and physical character, which remains consistent to his final shot. I feel it would be sad not to give him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award® nomination¹ this year (2004), cause his work in "Mystic River" proves FINALLY the man can dissect a role and make it his own, still making it something we've never seen him do before.

However, as I said, the last five minutes of the film ruin an otherwise perfect picture. Without giving away too much. There are so many bits of denouement dialogue which are unmotivated, and so many looks between characters with confusing meanings, I was left saying, "What the hell was all that," while the end credits were rolling. It kind of p**ses me off.

There was one moment where the camera was backing off Kevin Bacon (Wild Things) as detective Sean where I thought the film was over, and I was about to be very happy. However, the picture kept going into this five minute mess of "huh?" In short, the ending should have been limited to a special feature alternate ending on the DVD.

Despite the final five, this is one of my favorites of this year. The production design, cinematography and direction was simply TOO COOL. I felt giddy through an otherwise sad slice of life.

Benn - Where's the Humanity?

¹  Tim Robbins in fact DID receive an Academy Award® nomination in 2004 for "Mystic River," of which he won.