For fans of the terrific novel "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane, the good news is that director Clint Eastwood and screenwriter Brian Helgeland have crafted the perfect film from this story.  The movie has what might be the most perfect cast of actors that has ever been assembled for a film.  The movie is two and a half hours long and moves at a very deliberate pace, but yet seems to hold the attention of the audience for every second that goes by.  I cannot remember a drama that combines so well a murder mystery with the psychological being of so many multi-layered characters that have troubling and haunting psyches.

      The basic premise of the story centers around three boyhood friends who find themselves together again after thirty years under tragic circumstances.  One day when they are about ten years old, Dave, Jimmy and Sean are out in the street playing when a car drives up and one of the guys pretends to be a cop and forces Dave into the car under the pretense of taking him back to his parents house.  Dave is actually kidnapped and sexually abused but manages to escape four days later.  Unfortunately, the boys friendship appears to wane after this event happens.

      Fast forward thirty years and Sean (Kevin Bacon) is a police detective, Jimmy (Sean Penn) runs a store, and Dave (Tim Robbins) is one very troubled man.  One night, the daughter of one of these characters get murdered and the leads seem to point to two suspects, the girl's boyfriend and Dave. Dave's wife Celeste (Marcia Gay Harden) slowly starts to believe that Dave has murdered Katie because he had arrive home late that same night covered in blood and with a story that didn't make much sense.  Dave and his partner Whitey begin to investigate the crime and slowly unravel long hidden secrets which all seem to have a connection to the murder.

      I'm not sure where exactly to start the kudos for this film as every aspect of it appears to be perfect.  I will start with Eastwood's direction and the editing job of Joel Cox.  The film seems to have a million cuts from scene to scene and from character to character. And it does this so seamlessly and so effortlessly.  Every scene seems to blend in perfectly with the scene that preceded it. Many times, Eastwood lets the camera stay on a character's face in order that we can see the anguish or torment that the person is going thru.  The lighting is magnificent in the film as Eastwood often lets the shadows or the darkness hover over a character's face in order to enhance the feeling of that person.  The film clocks in at about two and a half hours but the story nonetheless seems to hold your interest for every second.

      As I've stated earlier, this film may just have the best cast bunch of actors for so many characters as any film ever made.  Most people are talking about Sean Penn's performance which is indeed simply great.  However, for my money, the performance by Tim Robbins as the abused Dave is so powerful and haunting that he deserves an acting Oscar right now.  His mannerisms and troubled eyes gives us the perfect feel for what this poor man has lived with for so many years.  Kevin Bacon also gives a most moving performance as a man who cannot forget about that incident when they were kids.  I also want to give kudos to all the supporting actors in the film who also seem to be perfect in their roles.  But I will single out both Marcia Gay Harden who plays the hurt and confused Celeste and Lawrence Fishburn who plays Sean's police partner so effectively.

      This is a deeply complex, layered film which has several themes at it's core.  But the primary one to me is that it is about choices and how these choices, no matter how insignificant, can have such an impact on people's lives.  And the superb cinematography and haunting musical score just enhances these themes as they are played out in the story.

      Thus, "Mystic River" is a film that I strongly recommend without any hesitation.  I will be shocked if this film is not nominated for a large number of Academy Awards next year.  With what it seems as few quality dramas that come out during the year, go and enjoy this rich, complex film and the superb acting that supports it.  It will leave you thinking for many hours after you have eaten your popcorn and left the theatre.