Jimmy and sean are boyhood friends who ended up on opposite sides. If you have not read mystic river or seen the movie, you may not want to read this thread. Although they all remain in the city of their childhood, their paths never cross. It will most likely give away major plot elements of both the book and the movie. Lehanes novel centers on the relationships between three kids who take different paths after sharing a tragic circumstance involving the abduction of the trios weakest link. Mystic river is a 2003 american neonoir mystery drama film directed and scored by clint eastwood. This study guide consists of approximately 47 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of mystic river. I would say that mystic river came as close to capturing that boston neighborhood feel and the accent as any movie ive seen. Lehane masterfully weaves the many dark and complex threads that run through the novel. They may be fictional, stuck between the pages of the novel, but they seem like so much more like living, breathing people in 3d. Well, its november, and time to start discussing mystic river. He was tired of his clothes and tired of his hair and tired of other peoples clothes and other. Tobin bridge, boston in the background of the hockey scene you can see the enormous tobin bridge, linking chelsea to charlestown across the mystic river, which is where the grownup sean devine kevin bacon, now a cop, and his partner whitey powers laurence.
While these blood stains turn out to belong to dave. Oct 30, 2006 the mystic river is the name of a short river in the commonwealth of massachusetts in the united states. Buy mystic river by dennis lehane from waterstones today. Nov 02, 2003 it will most likely give away major plot elements of both the book and the movie. I know some people have written that they werent able to get into the book and didnt finish it, but i hope there are others besides me that did. Mystic river is a suspenseful tale, that will have you addicted and wanting to read all of dennis lehanes books. It involves three boyhood friends in an irish neighborhood of boston, who were forever marked when one of them was captured by a child molester.
Mystic river, as well as being an excellent page turner, is an exploration of manhood, their loyalities, struggles, and, more interestingly, the women behind them. Overview of mystic river, 2003, directed by clint eastwood, with sean penn, tim robbins, kevin bacon, at turner classic movies. The novel revolves around three boys who grow up as friends in boston dave boyle, sean devine, and jimmy. Mystic river shares more than a passing resemblance to alejandro. A tense and unnerving psychological thriller, mystic river is also an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family, in which people irrevocably marked by the past find themselves on a collision course with the darkest truths of their own hidden selves. This psychological suspense tale works because the three key players and several support members like boyles wife appear genuine and consistent so that their actions feel right for them. C lint eastwoods mystic river is a somber evocation of a poor, closeknit section of boston on the brink of moral collapse. Daves car had been impounded because of the blood stains in the front seat. The film was directed by clint eastwood and starred sean penn as jimmy markum the characters last name was changed from marcus to markum for the film, tim robbins as dave, and kevin bacon as sean. Mystic river is set in a boston community which is rocked by the fatal shooting of a young woman. Ask anything you want to know, or answer other peoples questions. Oct 08, 2003 directed by clint eastwood, the mysterious drama mystic river is based on the novel by dennis lehane and adapted by screenwriter brian helgeland. This 59page guide for mystic river by dennis lehane includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 27 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. The screenplay, written by brian helgeland, was based on the novel of the same name by dennis lehane.
When they were children, sean devine, jimmy marcus, and. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened something that ended their friendship and. Celeste tells jimmy she believes dave killed katie. Mystic river, the academy awardwinning adaptation of the novel, was released in 2003. I would say that mystic river came as close to capturing that boston neighborhood feel. From goodreads when they were children, sean devine, jimmy marcus, and dave boyle were friends. Incredibly bad plot hole mystic river 2003 discussion. Its hard to believe, but mystic river is clint eastwoods twentyfourth feature film as a director. In the scene at the beginning of the movie as the 3 youths walk up the street, you can see current ma license plates, although the action should have taken place many years earlier. Its name comes from a wampanoag word meaning big river. Mystic river is a firstrate thriller that does far more than merely solve a puzzle. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Like all great crime fiction, there is so much more going on than plot, characterisation, suspense, mystery etc.
As is so often the case with street games like this, the gutter drain finally sucks up the last of their hockey balls and they are suddenly left with nothing to do. So he confessed knowing full well what jimmy was going to do. Differences between mystic river book vs movie page 1. Jimmy markum penn is an excon who owns a neighborhood store it is his daughter katie who turns up dead. When they were children, sean devine, jimmy marcus and. Set in an irish neighborhood in boston, jimmy, sean, and dave are three childhood friends who are reunited after a brutal murder takes place.
It is a captivating and heartfelt exploration into the souls of its characters. Everyone begins to suspect dave, who was seen with the victim before the murder and then came home later with an injured hand and blood on his clothes, supposedly from a mugging. Mystic river by dennis lehane, first edition, signed. Sean notices that the caller refers to the victim as a she, although he couldnt know that the victim is a girl since he saw only the car and the body was dumped in the park. Clint eastwood, based on dennis lehanes novel of the same title, from 2001 is a wolf tale in disguise. I know some people have written that they werent able to get into the book and didnt finish it, but i hope there are others besides me. The occasion for these reflections is the recent appearance of a genuine film tragedy. Mystic river contains a whodoneit, but that is a subplot of the theme that centers on the impact on adults of their broken childhood relationships. Mystic river starts out with three boys jimmy, dave, and sean growing. I liked the book a bit more, just because i felt like daves psyche was explored more, but the film still does a great job. Mystic river is an adaptation of a dennis lehane novel, which they did a phenomenal job with.
Mystic river opens in 1975 and introduces three young boys who are ten and eleven years old and live in east buckingham, a workingclass part of boston. Mystic river by dennis lehane paperback never enough novels. Since his debut behind the camera he was also in front of it in play misty for me in 1971, he. Read mystic river online by dennis lehane books free 30day. Dennis lehane booklist dennis lehane message board. Sean penn won the best actor in a leading role and tim robbins won the best supporting actor.
He was the first name on our list, said the publisher of the dylan audiobook. Jimmy confronts dave, insisting he admit to the murderor jimmy will kill him, as he already killed the father of katies boyfriend long ago. Two of the boys, jimmy marcus and dave boyle, live in the flats area, while sean devine lives in the nicer point area. The new york times bestselling novel from dennis lehane is a gripping, unnerving psychological thriller about the effects of a savage killing on three former friends in a tightly knit, bluecollar boston neighborhood when they were children, sean devine, jimmy marcus, and dave boyle were friends. Moviechat forums mystic river 2003 discussion incredibly bad plot hole incredibly bad plot hole posted 3 years ago by mastro7261 9 replies jump to latest. Dennis lehanes mystic river is more than a mystery novel, and it is more than a thriller. Mystic river takes a final explosive turn into a complex double denouement that involves both the gun as a murder weapon and an explanation of the suspicious activities of dave boyle the night of katies murder. When they were children, sean devine, jimmy marcus, and dave boyle were friends. Three young boys, all the best of friends, are playing stick hockey on a side street in a gritty area of boston near the port facilities on the mystic river. Not only is the film the directors best work since his undervalued a perfect world, its also one of the most spiritually profound works to come out of the hollywood studio system in quite some time.
In mystic river, sean and whitey dont have a clue about the real killers of katie until they finally listen to the 911 tape. He watched his fathers thick fingers rub sawdust off the tips. Tired of books and tv and the nightly news and songs on the radio hed heard years before and hadnt liked much in the first place. What is the impact of dave boyles tragic life on the ending part of the novel. A lifetime of history in the same place has all of the characters overlapping, intersecting, and echoing each others lives. Mystic river 2003 when the daughter emmy rossum of excon jimmy marcus sean penn is murdered, two of his childhood friends from the neighborhood are involved. Man from snowy river questions the neverending story trivia contagion ending hunt for the wilderpeople quotes apocalypto plot 50 mistakes in the simpsons ocean. Sean devine bacon is a massachusetts state police detective whose wife has left him but keeps calling to hear his voice. The ending explained mystic river 2003 discussion moviechat. Mystic river was a blast, like a really fucking good, layered detective movie, except the movie version didnt come close to catching the books nuances. The film mystic river is not a fairy tale, and unlike fairy tales, it contains some basic ambiguities that remain unresolved.
If anyone has read the book, does jimmy get away with murdering. Mystic river is a novel by dennis lehane that was published in 2001. As the cops investigate the murder, several days go by. Its name derives from the native american word missituk, which translates to great tidal river, and it lies to the north of and flows approximately parallel to the charles river. Mystic river starts out with three boys jimmy, dave, and sean growing if you are someone who stays up past midnight reading very suspenseful mystery novels then this the book for you. Having lived in boston for 20 years ive mercifully never acquired the accent and managed to keep a little of my new york bark.
However, after the abduction and abuse of one of them, they grow distant. The murder of a teenage daughter reunites three boyhood friends from the working class suburbs north of boston in their late 30s. The new york times bestselling novel from dennis lehane is a gripping, unnerving psychological thriller about the effects of a savage killing on three former friends in a tightly knit, bluecollar boston neighborhood. One boy got into the car, two did not, and something terrible happened something that ended their friendship and changed all three boys forever. Directed by clint eastwood, the mysterious drama mystic river is based on the novel by dennis lehane and adapted by screenwriter brian helgeland. Jun 15, 2004 its hard to believe, but mystic river is clint eastwoods twentyfourth feature film as a director.
Big wolf is the name dave gives henry, one of the men who kidnapped him when he was a boy. For this thesis, a crimebased novel entitled mystic river by dennis. The film, based upon the book by dennis lehane, explores the impact that the abduction and rape of a young boy by two pedophiles has on him and his two friends some twentyfive years later. Mystic river has big, serious star power and big, serious themes. Clint eastwoods mystic river is a dark, ominous brooding about a crime in the present that is emotionally linked to a crime in the past. Mystic river, cert 15 peter bradshaw friday 17 october 2003 the guardian. Meanwhile, katies boyfriend brendan has figured out that the true murderers were his younger brother silent ray and his. For the film based on the book, see mystic river film. The novel revolves around three boys who grow up as friends in boston dave boyle, sean devine, and jimmy marcus. It stars sean penn, tim robbins, kevin bacon, laurence fishburne, marcia gay harden, and laura linney. Nazca cafe, 5th street, boston jimmys pals, the savage brothers, tip him off about dave being questioned as he picks out a gravestone for his daughter at wellsmere monumental works, 3841 washington street in roslindale. We wash them clean, so some viewers see something more mystical in the title and have likened it metaphorically to karma, that is, whatgoesaroundcomesaround.
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