Mystic River



""We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean.""

- Jimmy Markum

A 2001 novel by Dennis Lehane, Mystic River was brought to the screen in 2003 by director Clint Eastwood. The film version starred Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, who both won Oscars for their roles, and Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne.

Years ago, Dave Boyle escaped with his life from mysterious men in Boston. In present day Boston, he is reunited with his childhood friends, Jimmy Markum and Sean Devine when the former's eldest daughter is found dead in a ditch. Sean, now a detective, and Jimmy, an ex-convict, both vow to find the killer themselves. Unfortunately, Dave, who came home to his wife all bloody the night of the murder, is their prime suspect...

This work features examples of:
"Jimmy: "My own little daughter and I can't even cry for her." Dave: "Jimmy, you're crying now.""
 * Bittersweet Ending: Sure, they catch the killer, but
 * Boston: A somewhat fictionalized version of the city provides the setting. "East Buckingham" doesn't actually exist, since it's in the location of the real life Somerville but is ethnically and culturally more like South Boston, which is on the other side of the city.
 * Deadly Prank:
 * Dying Alone: Jimmy murdered a former associate, "Just Ray" Harris, not merely for ratting on him, but because in doing so,
 * Film of the Book
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Sean and Whitey. Laurence Fishburne even said in an interview "This is a film about three men and their wives - I play Kevin Bacon's wife."
 * Hollywood New England: Well, it is set in Bahstahn, yah?
 * Karma Houdini: Jimmy murdered "Just Ray" Harris and got off by agreeing to pay his family a monthly sum of $500. Although...
 * Lady Macbeth:
 * Laser-Guided Karma:
 * Major Injury Underreaction: One of the police officers recounts a story about a guy who walked into the emergency room with a knife sticking out of his shoulder and asked the nurse where the Coke machine was.
 * Police Procedural: Although with a bit more focus on the characters' personal lives than most.
 * Race Lift: Sgt. Powers, played by Laurence Fishburne in the movie, was white in the book. For extra irony, the character's name is Whitey Powers, which Dennis Lehane admits was an Incredibly Lame Pun that became even funnier when Fishburne was cast.
 * Red Herring: Dave's bloody clothes on the night of Katie's murder
 * In the novel,.
 * Retired Outlaw: Jimmy Marcus, by the time of the novel's present day.
 * The Reveal:.
 * Schrodinger's Butterfly: It's suggested at the end of the film that
 * Southies: All the major characters, with the exception of Sgt. Powers.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Jimmy's surname is Marcus in the novel and Markum in the film.
 * Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard: Sean's reaction to his partner Whitey's theory that Dave killed Katie. Turns out.
 * Survivor Guilt: Word of God is this is the main theme of the book, mainly from Sean and Jimmy about Dave's fate, and Sean because he managed to get out of the neighborhood.
 * Too Dumb to Live:
 * Unable to Cry: Lampshaded:


 * You Said You Would Let Them Go: