This past weekend I watched the movie Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon as three childhood friends who share a traumatic event which affects all their lives. Thirty years later the daughter of Sean Penn is brutally murdered, with Kevin Bacon as the investigating homicide detective and Tim Robbins as the main suspect.

It was a strong movie on several levels: the murder mystery was well-done, logical and intriguing, yet rich enough not to be neither clichéd nor routine. The characterization was strong, especially Robbins’ still-haunted victim of the traumatic childhood event, and Sean Penn’s grieving father. And the acting, of course, was superb. Penn had the type of meaty role which allows actors to demonstrate the full range of their “acting chops” and which often impresses Oscar voters, so it is not surprising he won Best Actor for the role. Tim Robbins’ role was considerably more low-key, and consequently more difficult to pull off, especially in the glare of Penn’s role. It reminded me of Richard Burton’s low-key Thomas Becket competing against Peter O’Toole’s dynamic King Henry II in Becket forty years ago. In that movie though, they were both nominated for Best Actor and knocked each other out of the voting. Instead, Robbins was nominated as Best Supporting Actor and also won an Oscar for his role.

From a writing point of view, the climactic scene was truly inspired. Without giving too much of a spoiler, that scene alternated images of the murder mystery being solved simultaneously with the character study being resolved, with each event having an important impact on the other. It was very cleverly done and left a stunning emotional impact on the viewer.

I can see why Mystic River was nominated for Best Picture of the Year. It certainly outshone Master and Commander, which I watched last weekend and thought was enjoyable without being outstanding. I have not seen any of the Lord of the Rings trilogy yet, but I would be satisfied if Mystic River had taken home the Oscar.