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Mystic River (film)
Encyclopedia
Mystic River is a 2003 American drama film
directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood
, starring Sean Penn
, Tim Robbins
, Kevin Bacon
, Laurence Fishburne
, Marcia Gay Harden
, Laura Linney
and Emmy Rossum
. The film was written by Brian Helgeland
, based on Dennis Lehane
's novel of the same name
.
The film opened to widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for Academy Awards
for Best Picture
, Best Director
, Best Actor
, Best Adapted Screenplay
, Best Supporting Actress
and Best Supporting Actor
. Sean Penn won Best Actor and Tim Robbins won Best Supporting Actor, making Mystic River the first film to win both awards since Ben-Hur
in 1959.
street in 1975. Spotting wet concrete, the boys commence writing their names into it when a car pulls up and two men, pretending to be police officers, get out, berate the boys for their actions, and tell Dave to get in the car. The men are pedophiles, and hold Dave captive and sexually abuse
him for four days, until he escapes.
Twenty-five years later, the boys are now grown and, while they still live in Boston, have drifted apart. Jimmy (Penn) is an ex-con running a neighborhood store, while Dave (Robbins) is a blue-collar worker, still haunted by his abduction. The two are still neighbors and related by marriage. Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter Katie is secretly dating Brendan Harris, a boy Jimmy despises. She and Brendan are planning to run away together to Las Vegas.
Katie goes out for the night with her girlfriends and is seen by Dave at a local bar. That night, Katie is murdered, and Dave comes home with an injured hand and blood on his clothes, which his wife Celeste helps him clean up. Dave claims that he fought off a mugger and "bashed his head into the concrete", and possibly killed him. Sean (Bacon), who is now a detective with the Massachusetts State Police
, investigates Katie's murder. In a subplot, Sean's pregnant wife Lauren has left him.
Over the course of the film, Sean and his partner, Sergeant Whitey Powers, track down leads while Jimmy conducts his own investigation using his neighborhood connections. Sean discovers that the gun used to kill Katie was also used in a liquor store robbery during the 1980s by "Just Ray" Harris, the father of Katie's boyfriend. Harris has been missing for some time, but Brendan claims he still sends his family $500 every month. Brendan also feigns ignorance about Ray's gun but Sean believes that it was still in the house. Sergeant Powers suspects Dave as a possible perpetrator because he was one of the last people to see Katie alive. He also has a wounded hand and even though he continues to tell his wife he got it while being mugged, he tells the police a different story – soon Jimmy becomes suspicious of it. Dave continues to behave strangely, which upsets his wife to the point she is afraid he will hurt her. While Jimmy and his associates conduct their investigation, Dave's wife eventually tells Jimmy about Dave's behavior and the bloody clothing and her suspicions.
Jimmy and his friends get Dave drunk at a local bar. When Dave leaves the bar, the men follow him out. Jimmy tells Dave that he shot "Just Ray" Harris at that same location for ratting him out and sending him to jail. Jimmy informs Dave that his wife thinks he murdered Katie and tells Dave that he will let him live if he confesses; if he does not he will kill him. Dave repeatedly tells Jimmy that he did kill someone but it was not Katie: he beat a child molester to death after finding him having sex with a child prostitute in a car. Jimmy does not believe Dave's claim and threatens him with a knife. When Dave finally admits to killing Katie thinking he can escape with his life, Jimmy kills him and disposes of his body in the adjacent Mystic River
.
While Dave is being killed, Brendan (having found out about his father's gun during questioning) confronts his younger brother Ray Jr. and his brother's friend John about Katie's murder. He beats the two boys and threatens to kill them if they do not admit their guilt, but he is almost shot by John. Sean and Powers arrive just in time to stop it.
The next morning, Sean tells Jimmy that the police have Katie's murderers – who have confessed. She was killed by Brendan's brother and his friend in a violent prank gone wrong. Sean asks Jimmy if he has seen Dave, because he is wanted for questioning in another case, the murder of a known child molester. A distraught Jimmy thanks Sean for finding his daughter's killers, but says "if only you had been a little faster." Sean asks Jimmy if he's going to "send Celeste Boyle $500 a month too?". Sean reunites with his wife and his daughter Nora, after apologizing for "driving her away". Jimmy goes to his wife and confesses. She comforts him and tells him that he is a king and kings always make the right decision. At a town parade, Sean sees Jimmy, and mimes shooting him, to let Jimmy know he is watching.
, and an even higher rating of 95% from its "Top Critics". At the website MetaCritic
, which utilizes a normalized
rating system, the film earned a rating of 84/100 ("universal acclaim") based on 42 reviews. Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone
wrote "Clint Eastwood pours everything he knows about directing into Mystic River. His film sneaks up, messes with your head, and then floors you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that hypnotic." The Sun wrote that the film was "a haunting masterpiece and probably [Eastwood's] best film to date".
Nominations
was released on June 8, 2004 and 3 editions have been released:
The film has also been released on Blu-ray Disc, both sold separately and as a part of the Clint Eastwood collection.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, starring Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
, Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
, Laura Linney
Laura Linney
Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
and Emmy Rossum
Emmy Rossum
Emmanuelle Grey "Emmy" Rossum is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first starred in a string of movies including Songcatcher , An American Rhapsody, and Passionada . However, it was her role in Mystic River that garnered her wider recognition...
. The film was written by Brian Helgeland
Brian Helgeland
Brian Thomas Helgeland is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for L.A...
, based on Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is an American author. He has written several award-winning novels, including A Drink Before the War and the New York Times bestseller Mystic River, which was later made into an Academy Award-winning film. Another novel, Gone, Baby, Gone, was also adapted into an Academy...
's novel of the same name
Mystic River (novel)
Mystic River is a novel by Dennis Lehane that was published in 2001. It won the 2002 Dilys Award and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 2003.-Plot summary:...
.
The film opened to widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
, Best Director
Academy Award for Directing
The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
, Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
, Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. It is awarded each year to the writer of a screenplay adapted from another source...
, Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Sean Penn won Best Actor and Tim Robbins won Best Supporting Actor, making Mystic River the first film to win both awards since Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
in 1959.
Plot
Three boys, Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle, play hockey in a BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
street in 1975. Spotting wet concrete, the boys commence writing their names into it when a car pulls up and two men, pretending to be police officers, get out, berate the boys for their actions, and tell Dave to get in the car. The men are pedophiles, and hold Dave captive and sexually abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
him for four days, until he escapes.
Twenty-five years later, the boys are now grown and, while they still live in Boston, have drifted apart. Jimmy (Penn) is an ex-con running a neighborhood store, while Dave (Robbins) is a blue-collar worker, still haunted by his abduction. The two are still neighbors and related by marriage. Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter Katie is secretly dating Brendan Harris, a boy Jimmy despises. She and Brendan are planning to run away together to Las Vegas.
Katie goes out for the night with her girlfriends and is seen by Dave at a local bar. That night, Katie is murdered, and Dave comes home with an injured hand and blood on his clothes, which his wife Celeste helps him clean up. Dave claims that he fought off a mugger and "bashed his head into the concrete", and possibly killed him. Sean (Bacon), who is now a detective with the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
, investigates Katie's murder. In a subplot, Sean's pregnant wife Lauren has left him.
Over the course of the film, Sean and his partner, Sergeant Whitey Powers, track down leads while Jimmy conducts his own investigation using his neighborhood connections. Sean discovers that the gun used to kill Katie was also used in a liquor store robbery during the 1980s by "Just Ray" Harris, the father of Katie's boyfriend. Harris has been missing for some time, but Brendan claims he still sends his family $500 every month. Brendan also feigns ignorance about Ray's gun but Sean believes that it was still in the house. Sergeant Powers suspects Dave as a possible perpetrator because he was one of the last people to see Katie alive. He also has a wounded hand and even though he continues to tell his wife he got it while being mugged, he tells the police a different story – soon Jimmy becomes suspicious of it. Dave continues to behave strangely, which upsets his wife to the point she is afraid he will hurt her. While Jimmy and his associates conduct their investigation, Dave's wife eventually tells Jimmy about Dave's behavior and the bloody clothing and her suspicions.
Jimmy and his friends get Dave drunk at a local bar. When Dave leaves the bar, the men follow him out. Jimmy tells Dave that he shot "Just Ray" Harris at that same location for ratting him out and sending him to jail. Jimmy informs Dave that his wife thinks he murdered Katie and tells Dave that he will let him live if he confesses; if he does not he will kill him. Dave repeatedly tells Jimmy that he did kill someone but it was not Katie: he beat a child molester to death after finding him having sex with a child prostitute in a car. Jimmy does not believe Dave's claim and threatens him with a knife. When Dave finally admits to killing Katie thinking he can escape with his life, Jimmy kills him and disposes of his body in the adjacent Mystic River
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...
.
While Dave is being killed, Brendan (having found out about his father's gun during questioning) confronts his younger brother Ray Jr. and his brother's friend John about Katie's murder. He beats the two boys and threatens to kill them if they do not admit their guilt, but he is almost shot by John. Sean and Powers arrive just in time to stop it.
The next morning, Sean tells Jimmy that the police have Katie's murderers – who have confessed. She was killed by Brendan's brother and his friend in a violent prank gone wrong. Sean asks Jimmy if he has seen Dave, because he is wanted for questioning in another case, the murder of a known child molester. A distraught Jimmy thanks Sean for finding his daughter's killers, but says "if only you had been a little faster." Sean asks Jimmy if he's going to "send Celeste Boyle $500 a month too?". Sean reunites with his wife and his daughter Nora, after apologizing for "driving her away". Jimmy goes to his wife and confesses. She comforts him and tells him that he is a king and kings always make the right decision. At a town parade, Sean sees Jimmy, and mimes shooting him, to let Jimmy know he is watching.
Cast
- Sean PennSean PennSean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
as Jimmy Markum - Tim RobbinsTim RobbinsTimothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
as Dave Boyle - Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
as Sean Devine - Laurence FishburneLaurence FishburneLaurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
as Sergeant Whitey Powers - Marcia Gay HardenMarcia Gay HardenMarcia Gay Harden is an American film and theatre actress. Harden's breakthrough role was in Miller's Crossing and then The First Wives Club which was followed by several roles which gained her wider fame including the hit comedy Flubber and Meet Joe Black...
as Celeste Boyle - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
as Annabeth Markum - Kevin ChapmanKevin ChapmanKevin Chapman is an American actor known for his big build and ability to play an assortment of characters ranging from the obnoxious brother, Terrence in FX's Rescue Me to street enforcer Val Savage in Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed film, Mystic River.Chapman was discovered by the late...
as Val Savage - Tom GuiryTom GuiryThomas John Guiry is an American actor.Guiry was born in Trenton, New Jersey and attended St. Gregory the Great school in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey from kindergarten through eighth grade, and then high school at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey...
as Brendan Harris - Emmy RossumEmmy RossumEmmanuelle Grey "Emmy" Rossum is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She first starred in a string of movies including Songcatcher , An American Rhapsody, and Passionada . However, it was her role in Mystic River that garnered her wider recognition...
as Katie Markum - Spencer Treat ClarkSpencer Treat ClarkSpencer Treat Clark is an American actor who has appeared in several films, including Gladiator, Mystic River, and Unbreakable.-Life and career:...
as Silent Ray Harris - Adam Nelson as Nick Savage
- Robert WahlbergRobert WahlbergRobert G. Wahlberg is an American actor. He has appeared in such films as Southie, Mystic River, and The Departed.-Early life:...
as Kevin Savage - Edward O'Keefe as Communion Priest
- Jenny O'Hara as Esther Harris
- John DomanJohn DomanJohn Doman is an American actor best known for playing Deputy Police Commissioner William Rawls on HBO series The Wire from 2002 to 2008 and Colonel Edward Galson on Oz in 2001....
as Driver - Connor PaoloConnor PaoloConnor Paolo is an American actor best known of his role as Eric van der Woodsen in The CW young-adult series Gossip Girl since 2007-2011.He became part of the two Oliver Stone films, World Trade Center and Alexander where he bagged his biggest break in Hollywood.He is currently playing Declan...
as Young Sean Devine - Cayden BoydCayden BoydCayden Michael Boyd is an American teen actor. He is best known for his main character role as Max in the Robert Rodriguez's film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D.-Life:...
as Michael Boyle - Jonathan TogoJonathan TogoJonathan Togo is an American actor best known for his role in CSI: Miami as Ryan Wolfe.-Childhood:Jonathan Frederick Togo was born in Rockland, Massachusetts, the son of Sheila, unemployed and Michael Togo, a graphic designer...
as Pete - Will LymanWill LymanWilliam Lyman is an American voice-over artist and actor, perhaps best known for his polished, resonant voice that has narrated the PBS series Frontline since its second season in 1984. Lyman has made a successful career in television and theater...
as FBI Agent Birden - Ari GraynorAri GraynorAriel Geltman Graynor, better known as Ari Graynor, is an American actress.-Life and career:Graynor was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in a Jewish family and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols, a private school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Trinity College, in Hartford,...
as Eve Pigeon - Ken CheesemanKen CheesemanKen Cheeseman is an American film, television and stage actor. He may be best known for his appearances on the Law & Order franchise television series...
as Dave's Friend In Bar - Michael McGovernMichael McGovern (actor)Michael McGovern is an American actor. He formerly lived for several years in Manhattan, where he performed Off Broadway, but currently resides in the Park South area of Albany, New York.-Career:...
as '75 Reporter - Eli WallachEli WallachEli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
as Mr. Loonie, Liquor Store Owner (uncredited) - Paul Barber as the Delivery Man
Production
Mystic Rivers scenes were filmed on location in Boston. Eastwood claimed that the three lead actors were his first choices for the roles.Reception
Mystic River was well received by critics as well as viewers. The film has an 87% approval rating based on 191 reviews from critics at the review aggregator website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and an even higher rating of 95% from its "Top Critics". At the website MetaCritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which utilizes a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating system, the film earned a rating of 84/100 ("universal acclaim") based on 42 reviews. Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote "Clint Eastwood pours everything he knows about directing into Mystic River. His film sneaks up, messes with your head, and then floors you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that hypnotic." The Sun wrote that the film was "a haunting masterpiece and probably [Eastwood's] best film to date".
Box office
The film earned $156,822,020 worldwide with $90,135,191 in the U.S. and $66,686,829 in the international box office, which is significantly higher than the film's $30,000,000 budget.Accolades
Awards- 76th Academy Awards76th Academy AwardsThe 76th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2003 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 29, 2004 . The show was produced by Joe Roth and was hosted for the eighth time by comedian Billy Crystal.The...
:- Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Tim Robbins)
- Art Directors GuildArt Directors GuildThe Art Directors Guild is an American labor union and branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees representing almost 2,000 motion picture and television professionals....
: Feature Film – Contemporary Film (Henry Bumstead [production designer] and Jack G. Taylor Jr. [art director]) - Blue Ribbon Awards: Best Foreign Language Film
- 24th Boston Society of Film Critics AwardsBoston Society of Film Critics Awards 2003The 24th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2003, were given on 14 December 2003.-Winners:*Best Film:**Mystic River**Runner-up: Lost in Translation*Best Actor:**Bill Murray – Lost in Translation...
: Best Picture, Best Ensemble Cast - 9th BFCA Critics' Choice Awards: Best Actor (Sean Penn), Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins)
- Cannes Film Festival2003 Cannes Film FestivalThe 2003 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Elephant by Gus Van Sant.-Jury:* Patrice Chéreau, President * Aishwarya Rai * Meg Ryan * Karin Viard...
: Golden Coach (Clint Eastwood) - Casting Society of AmericaCasting Society of AmericaFounded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
: Best Casting for Feature Film – Drama - Central Ohio Film Critics: Best Actor (Sean Penn), Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins), Best Supporting Actress (Marcia Gay Harden)
- Chicago Film Critics AssociationChicago Film Critics AssociationThe Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong...
: Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins) - César Awards (France): Best Foreign Language Film
- Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics AssociationDallas-Fort Worth Film Critics AssociationThe Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association is an organization of 35 print, radio/TV and internet journalists from Dallas-Fort Worth-based publications...
: Best Actor (Sean Penn) - Florida Film Critics CircleFlorida Film Critics CircleThe Florida Film Critics Circle is an organization of film reviewers from fourteen Florida-based publications and websites. In December, the FFCC meets to vote on their awards for films released during that year.- Categories :* Best Actor...
: Best Actor (Sean Penn), Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins) - Fotogramas de Plata (Spain): Best Foreign Language Film
- 61st Golden Globe Awards61st Golden Globe AwardsThe 61st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2003, were held on January 25, 2004 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California...
:- Best Actor in a Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture DramaThe Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
– Drama (Sean Penn) - Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion PictureThe Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in a motion picture released in the previous year....
(Tim Robbins)
- Best Actor in a Motion Picture
- Kansas City Film Critics CircleKansas City Film Critics CircleThe Kansas City Film Critics Circle is a group of media film critics in the Kansas City metropolitan area. James Loutzenhiser, a local psychiatrist and film buff, who died in November 2001, founded the group in 1967...
: Best Actor (Sean Penn) - Kinema Junpo Awards (Japan): Best Foreign Language Film
- Las Vegas Film Critics SocietyLas Vegas Film Critics SocietyThe Las Vegas Film Critics Society is a non-profit organization, composed of selected print, television and internet film critics in the Las Vegas metropolitan area....
: Best Actor (Sean Penn) - London Film Critics CircleLondon Film Critics CircleThe London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally.The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards lacked meaning — for people in LA for example — and the Film Section wished its annual Awards...
: Actor of the Year (Sean Penn), Director of the Year (Clint Eastwood) - Mainichi Film Concours (Japan): Best Foreign Language Film
- National Board of Review: Best Picture, Best Actor (Sean Penn)
- National Society of Film CriticsNational Society of Film CriticsThe National Society of Film Critics is an American film critic organization. As of December 2007 the NSFC had approximately 60 members who wrote for a variety of weekly and daily newspapers.-History:...
: Best Director (Clint Eastwood) - PEN Center USA West Literary Awards: Best Screenplay (Brian Helgelan)
- Sant Jordi Awards (Spain): Best Foreign Language Film
- Satellite Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Sean Penn), Best Screenplay – Adapted (Brian Helgeland)
- Screen Actors GuildScreen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Tim Robbins) - Seattle Film Critics: Best Supporting Actress (Marcia Gay Harden)
- Southeastern Film Critics AssociationSoutheastern Film Critics AssociationThe Southeastern Film Critics Association is an organization of film reviewers from publications based in the Southeastern United States....
: Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins), Best Screenplay – Adapted (Brian Helgeland) - USC Scripter Award: Brian Helgeland (screenwriter) and Dennis Lehane (author)
- Uruguayan Film Critics Association (Uruguay): Best Film
- Vancouver Film Critics CircleVancouver Film Critics CircleThe Vancouver Film Critics Circle was founded to represent Vancouver's print, on-line and broadcast media and honours the best in Canadian and international filmmaking.-Award categories:International*Best Film*Best Director*Best Actor...
: Best Actor (Sean Penn)
Nominations
- 76th Academy Awards76th Academy AwardsThe 76th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2003 and was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California on ABC beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST/8:30 p.m. EST, February 29, 2004 . The show was produced by Joe Roth and was hosted for the eighth time by comedian Billy Crystal.The...
:- Best Picture
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Marcia Gay Harden)
- Best Director (Clint Eastwood)
- Best Screenplay – Adapted (Brian Helgeland)
- American Cinema EditorsAmerican Cinema EditorsFounded in 1950, American Cinema Editors is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing itself. The society is not to be confused with an industry union, such as the I.A.T.S.E...
: Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic (Joel Cox) - American Screenwriters Association: Discover Screenwriting Award (Brian Helgeland)
- Argentine Film Critics Association: Best Foreign Film (Clint Eastwood)
- Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
: Best Foreign Film - Awards of the Japanese Academy: Best Foreign Film
- 57th BAFTA Film Awards:
- Best Actor in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleBest Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.-Superlatives:...
(Sean Penn) - Best Actor in a Supporting RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleBest Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film...
(Tim Robbins) - Best Actress in a Supporting RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleBest Actress in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding supporting performance in a film...
(Laura Linney) - Best Screenplay – AdaptedBAFTA Award for Best Adapted ScreenplayThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been presented to its winners since 1968:-1980s:1983: Heat and Dust – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala*Betrayal – Harold Pinter...
(Brian Helgeland)
- Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Broadcast Film Critics AssociationBroadcast Film Critics AssociationThe Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics....
: Best Acting Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress (Mary Gay Harden), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Writer (Brian Helgeland), Best Composer (Clint Eastwood) - Cannes Film Festival2003 Cannes Film FestivalThe 2003 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Elephant by Gus Van Sant.-Jury:* Patrice Chéreau, President * Aishwarya Rai * Meg Ryan * Karin Viard...
: Golden Palm (Clint Eastwood) - Cinema Writers Circle (Spain): Best Foreign Film
- European Film Awards: Screen International Award (Clint Eastwood)
- 61st Golden Globe Awards61st Golden Globe AwardsThe 61st Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 2003, were held on January 25, 2004 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California...
:- Best Motion Picture – DramaGolden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - DramaThis page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama, since its institution in 1951. The organizer, Hollywood Foreign Press Association , is an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications...
- Best Director – Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion PictureThis page lists the winners of and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Since its inception in 1943, it has been presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an organization composed of journalists who cover the United States film industry for publications based...
(Clint Eastwood) - Best Screenplay – Motion PictureGolden Globe Award for Best ScreenplayThe Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture is one of the annual awards given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association."†" indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Writing "‡" indicates the winner of the Academy Award for Best Writing "§" indicates a Golden Globe Award...
(Brian Helgeland)
- Best Motion Picture – Drama
- IFTA Awards: Best International Film, Best International Actor (Sean Penn)
- International Horror GuildInternational Horror GuildThe International Horror Guild was created in 1995 as a way to recognize the achievements of those who create in the field of Horror and Dark Fantasy. The IHG presented the International Horror Guild Award. Nancy A. Collins, the founder of the award, felt there was a need for an award granted by...
: Best Movie - Motion Picture Sound EditorsMotion Picture Sound EditorsFounded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its...
: Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features – Dialogue & ADR - Online Film Critics SocietyOnline Film Critics SocietyThe Online Film Critics Society is a professional association for film critics who publish their reviews, interviews, and essays on the Internet.The OFCS was founded in 1997...
: Best Picture, Best Actor (Sean Penn), Best Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Screenplay – Adapted (Brian Helgeland) - PGA Golden Laurel Awards: Motion Picture Producer of the Year Award
- Robert Festival (Denmark): Best American Film
- Satellite Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Drama (Marcia Gay Harden), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing (Joel Cox), Best Sound (Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman, Michael Semanick, Christopher Boyes and Gary Summers)
- Screen Actors GuildScreen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins), Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn) - Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
: Best Adapted Screenplay (Brian Helgeland)
Home media releases
The DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on June 8, 2004 and 3 editions have been released:
- Full Screen Edition
- WidescreenWidescreenWidescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
Edition - 3-Disc Deluxe Edition
The film has also been released on Blu-ray Disc, both sold separately and as a part of the Clint Eastwood collection.
Further reading
- Ostermann, Eberhard. Mystic River oder die Abwesenheit des Vaters. In: E.O.: Die Filmerzählung. Acht exemplarische Analysen. Munich (Fink) 2007. pp. 29–43. ISBN 978-3-7705-4562-9.