Mystic River is a pretty f*cked up movie. What I mean by that is, you take a father's blind rage and he makes decisions in said rage without thinking things through, it creates an even bigger mess. Not to mention the fact that Marcia Gay Harden's character has to live with the guilt of selling out her own husband, which turned out to be wrong on her and everybody else's part.

There are so many things I dig about Mystic River, first and foremost is the sharp screenplay by Brian Helgeland. The movie basically opens up like any other Cop/Forensic show that you can find on TV today. But what makes this one head and shoulders is how the story unfolds itself to the viewer. Most shows and other like-minded films will throw red herring after red herring to trip up the viewer to keep you guessing. In this one, there really wasn't a red herring at all. The way it's set up with Tim Robbins character, we all just assume he killed Katie. There is no getting around that fact. Robbins was absolutely amazing in this role and sold the twist. No wonder he won for Best Supporting Actor for this one.

The other stand out of course was Sean Penn's mesmerizing performance as the father grieving for his lost daughter. I've been a fan of his going all the way back to Bad Boys, and he never fails to impress me in every role he does and this is definitely Top 3 here. There is a reason why Penn won Best Actor for this role. I still say that I Am Sam is his best, but that's a review for another day. The final ingredient that makes this movie one to watch is Clint Eastwood's direction. I love the aesthetic and style he brings to all of the movies that he shoots.

Rounding out the stellar cast is Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurence Fishburne and Laura Linney . I highly recommend this as a Rent. I own the 3 Disc Deluxe Edition, which comes with a bonus 3rd disc which is the soundtrack CD.