7) Mystic River
The acting ensemble will mesmerize you with Sean Penn (won the Oscar for Best Actor), Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon and Laura Linney.
Mystic River basically unfolds like a Greek tragedy or something William Shakespeare would’ve concocted.
The prologue begins with one of three kids playing in the streets of Boston is tricked into getting into a car with a pedophile, who turns out to be Tim Robbins. When we fast forward to the present, the three men (Penn, Robbins and Bacon) have all gone their separate ways.
Penn is Jimmy Markum, a former petty thief who spent two years in the slammer but who has since turned straight and now owns a neighborhood liquor store. When Jimmy’s daughter from his first marriage turns up murdered, the three men’s lives intersect in ways they could never have imagined.
Bacon is Sean Divine, a homicide detective assigned to the case, and Robbins is Dave Boyle, a sporadically employed man who may be a prime suspect in the murder. These three men become interconnected as the result of the murder.
It’s a dangerous study in grief and trauma. You’ll need a strong stomach for this one.