Cinecity Top 10 Film Poll – 2003 – Mystic River

Continuing our look at the top films of the last 10 years, Scott submits his vote for the best film of 2003 – Mystic River

With the festival looming, CINECITY has announced it build up campaign, and what kind of movie fan Brightonian would I be if I didn’t get involved. But what is it all about? Read on…

CineCity 2012, Brighton Film Festival is approaching, and from 15th November to 2nd December the City will be taken over by films fans attending events in 10 venues including the ever brilliant Duke of York’s Picturehouse. This yearn is a special one as it is the 10th edition. To help with the build up, the boffins behind the festival have asked us fans to come up with our TOP 10 FILMS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS. I have decided to run a series of 10 posts with a feature on my favorite film from the chosen year.

But what would you choose? Why not get involved yourself. All you have to do is tweet, facebook message, or blog your top 10 films of the last 10 years and include the hashtag

The top films will be compiled and the results will be announced during the festival, but do not panic I will report back here to announce the winners to those of your overseas.

But remember to see your fave, get involved!!

Again 2003 was full of good films. I had an internal struggle with myself over which film I would rate the highest… This or Monster…. In the end Mystic River won.

Mystic River (2003)

Mystic River opens some 30 years in the past. Three boys – Jimmy, Sean and Dave – are playing hockey in the street. Upon seeing some wet cement they do as boys do and carve their names into it.

A Police officer drives by and scorns the boys for this and drags Dave off in his car. It turns out that he is not a police officer at all and him and his partner keep Dave as their sex toy for four days until he manages to escape.

Fast-Forward a few decades and the three boys are now middle-aged men living in Boston. They have all gone their separate ways. Dave is an unhinged individual, played by Tim Robbins. The effects of his trauma as a child are apparent and he is unable to hold down a job or any healthy relationships. Sean, played by Kevin Bacon is a homicide cop whose wife is away and the only contact he has is through his mobile phone. Jimmy is played by Sean Penn and runs a local liquor store and on his second marriage.

The trio have little contact with each other. That is until Jimmy’s daughter Katie turns up dead. Sean winds up on the case and Dave has some very strange injuries.

What follows could have easily have been a substandard episode of C.S.I but under the expert hands of actor-come-director Clint Eastwood and with the help of some outstanding performances and a razor-sharp script the film elevates into something much greater. Everyone is perfect for the roles and turns in stellar performances, there is not a once of dead weight.

Tim Robbins is excellent and he truly deserved the Oscar for the performance. But let us not overlook the other supporting cast, Marcia Gay Haden was also nominated for an Oscar and her role as the slowly disintegrating wife who thinks her husband is a murderer is hard to watch but electric at the same time.

Eastwood directs in a end-of-the-day light, almost gray style with little in the way of camera movement and exaggeration; he let’s his cast and the script do the heavy lifting.

Mystic River is a heavy film that is at times hard to watch. A haunting tragedy elevated time and time again by the talented ensemble cast and controlled skillfully by the hollywood veteran director. A Must see film for all film fans.

There we have it, our second instalment of the TOP 10 FILMS of the last 10 years – What would you choose for 2003? Well to get involved you can blog your own post and tweet it with the hashtag #cinecity10th or you could tweet it to @cinecity_bton or add it to their facebook page HERE, or if you are shy… why not add it in the comment section below and I will tweet it for you!!!

Our previous instalment can be found here -

2002 - Talk to Her

CINECITY BRIGHTON FILM FESTIVAL WILL RUN FROM 15TH NOVEMBER TO 2ND DECEMBER 2012 FOR MORE INFO VISIT THE HOMEPAGE HERE