Clint Eastwood's Best Work Ever

Clint Eastwood is a Hollywood icon that is still going strong into his 70's. A great actor, turned great Director, he has been involved in many great films throughout his career.

I remember as a child watching "Rawhide" where he played Rowdy Yates, a cowhand, in that continuous cattle drive.It lasted from 1959 to 1965

After reviewing many of his great films as an actor and director, I have come to the conclusion that "Mystic River",directed by Clint, would top my list as his best work ever.

The film opens with three boys, Sean Devine, Jimmy Markum, and Dave Boyle, playing hockey in the street. While playing, the boys find a section of sidewalk cement that is still drying. Jimmy impulsively writes his name in the cement and Sean follows. Dave begins to write his name in the cement, however, a car pulls up and a man who appears to be a plainclothes police officer gets out, scolds the three boys, and tells Dave to get in the car. As the car moves away, Dave looks out the back window to see Jimmy and Sean staring back at him. Hearing that Dave was taken away by a police officer, the parents of Jimmy and Sean sense that something is wrong and begin to look for him. The film then cuts to Dave in the basement of the two pedophiles who took him and then to Dave running away from the house through a forest.

Staring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins,Laurence Fishburne,Kevin Bacon,Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney.The all-star cast does a great job to make sure that the story stays strong and focused but also making sure that their individual parts don't overshadow the parts that they were playing. A childhood tragedy has led 3 men to where they are now in life, and we see how the events have left all 3 of them affected. When one of the men has his daughter go missing, the drama begins to unfold, and we are taken on a ride of emotions throughout the duration of the film.

Mystic River, which was released in 2003, is a surprisingly dark film, with a controversial climax. It is skillfully directed, acted, shot, edited, lit and scored. It is a mostly humorless and occasionally difficult realist drama, that will undoubtedly affect most viewers emotionally in a variety of ways. I remembered feeling emotionally drained at the end. Others near me were crying, men as well as women. It is that powerful of a film.

The film opened to widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Sean Penn won Best Actor and Tim Robbins won Best Supporting Actor.