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[Photo: Warner Bros.]

In Clint Eastwood’s film Mystic River, Sean Penn, left, and Kevin Bacon play childhood friends who are reunited as adults by mystery, tragedy and the unspoken past.

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"River" flows masterfully, inexorably

I've previewed several good movies in the past three weeks but none resonated as much as Clint Eastwood's Mystic River. This brooding urban tragedy, based on a bestselling novel by Eckerd College graduate Dennis Lehane, gets better the more it is contemplated.

Eastwood's straightforward style of storytelling is perfect for this complex tale of guilt, loyalty and emotional damage. Without flashy editing or indulgent tricks, Eastwood cuts straight to the bones of family skeletons rattled again after a murder in a working-class Boston neighborhood.

The victim is the daughter of Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), a former convict gone straight as a grocery store owner. The investigating officer is Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), Jimmy's childhood buddy who lost touch as their lives took different paths. However, the roots of the estrangement can be traced to the sexual assault of another playmate, Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), now a chief suspect in the death of Jimmy's daughter.

Eastwood allows each scene to breathe, giving his actors any chance to plumb the depths of their characters. A few scenes drag, but it's refreshing to find a filmmaker taking his time in this hurried cinematic era and thrilling to see what such fine actors do with the leeway. Penn, Robbins and Bacon are all strong contenders for end-of-year acting honors.

The rest of the ensemble cast - Laura Linney as Jimmy's ambitious wife, Marcia Gay Harden as Dave's suspicious spouse and Laurence Fishburne as Sean's partner - makes sharp impressions, even if they're mostly plot fodder; a couple of late twists drop in from left field. But the overall effect of Mystic River is sobering, for its drama and for the expertise displayed in bringing it to the screen. A-

- STEVE PERSALL, Time film critic

A full review of Mystic River, which opened Wednesday, appeared on page 2B of Wednesday's Times, and can be seen at www.sptimes.com.)