In 2003, members of the Academy were not easy to choose who to give the Oscar, as this year was fruitful for good films. Among the nominees were Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Cold Mountain. But the actors of the film "Mysterious River" won the most prestigious nominations.
The film "Mysterious River"
In 2001, renowned novelist Dennis Lehane published the mystery River Mystic. The rights to the adaptation of this work were almost immediately bought from the author. Brian Helgeland wrote a screenplay based on Lichaneâs book, and work on the film soon began. The directorâs chair was taken by Clint Iswood, in addition, he acted as a co-producer of the project and voiced the trailer.
In a record-breaking short time â 39 days â the film was shot and was soon released. With a budget of $ 30 million at the box office, the movie earned about 157 million.
The painting was well received by critics and nominated for prestigious awards. Received two Oscars actors. The Mysterious River, in addition, was awarded two Golden Globes, as well as an award from the Boston Film Critics Society.
Plot
In the center of events are three friends Jimmy, Dave and Sean.
Jimmy's eldest daughter is found murdered. Sean is assigned to investigate, but Jimmy decides to find the killer on his own. One of the experts inadvertently expresses the opinion that the killer is about 40 years old, which is why the investigation begins to suspect Dave, as he has mental problems.
30 years before the events, when the heroes were children, they were caught during another trick by a stranger who introduced himself as a policeman and took Dave to the police station. Later it turned out that the unknown was a pedophile and, together with a friend-priest, tormented the boy for 4 days until he managed to escape.
Due to the fact of childhood trauma, eccentric behavior and traces of blood in his car, Dave was called to the police station. However, he unlocked, the evidence was not enough, so he was released and the investigation continued.
When Jimmy heard of the suspicions, he decided to punish his childhood friend. He, along with his friends, took him to the riverbank and forced him to confess to the murder of his daughter. Then he shot Dave and threw his body into the water.
The next morning it turned out that the real killers were found - this is a company of teenagers who procured weapons somewhere and accidentally injured Jimmy's daughter. To silence her, they beat the girl to death.
From the behavior of Jimmy, Sean realizes that Dave is killed by him. But he decides to hide this crime.
Interesting Facts
- They planned to shoot this tape in Canada, but Eastwood made sure that the shooting took place in the United States.
- Tim Robbins, Sean Penn and other actors have been cast without problems. The Mysterious River was full of professionals. Kevin Bacon got into the project by accident. Initially, the role of Sean was to be played by Michael Keaton, but because of a quarrel with the director, he was forced to leave the project - he was invited to replace Bacon. The same fate befell Forest Whitaker - he was replaced by Lawrence Fishborn.
- The author of the book "Mystic River" starred in the final episode of the picture - he was one of the participants in the parade.
- Jimmy's last name in the book was Marcus, but she was changed to Markum. Also an interesting name was given to Sean Devinâs black colleague - White Powers, which is a reference to the well-known motto of the Ku Klux Klan âWhite Powerâ.
- In Mystic River, the second kidnapper was not a priest. However, due to the sensational scandal associated with the corruption of minors by parishioners of the Catholic Church, the scriptwriter turned one of Daveâs tormentors into a clergyman.
Sean Penn - Jim Markum
The role of a heartbroken father went to Hollywood bully Sean Penn.
His play was so soulful that members of the American Film Academy awarded him an Oscar for Best Actor. This was the first of two golden statuettes in the actorâs arsenal, although he was nominated for this award even before the painting âThe Mysterious Riverâ.
The actors and the roles they play are very similar to each other. So it happened with the stage image, which was fixed for Sean Penn. The boy from childhood was distinguished by his violent disposition, many of his heroes had a similar character. Despite the specific appearance, at the age of 21, Sean was able to get one of the main roles in the film "Cadets".
After a successful debut, the directors began to exploit the image of the bully Penn, so often he got the same type of role.
By the end of the 80s, Sean gained the fame of loosing his arms: he beat one of the photojournalists and ended up in prison for a month, and also, being the husband of Madonna, repeatedly beat her. Despite this, as well as a love of alcohol, the actor was still often invited to appear. In 1991, he sat in the directorâs chair of The Running Indian, and in the following years Penn took off another 4 films.
2003 was successful for the actor: he played the main roles in two films nominated for an Oscar - Mysterious River and 21 Grams. For the first, he received this award and the Golden Globe. And for the second, he was awarded the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival.
In subsequent years, Sean Penn won many new prestigious awards. Today he continues to be in demand in the profession. For professionalism, his fellow actors respect him.
The Mysterious River: Tim Robbins (Dave Boyle) and Kevin Bacon (Sean Devin)
Although most of the fame for the film went to Sean Penn, the play of other actors did not go unappreciated. So, the performers of the other two leading roles also became famous.
Tim Robbins became the second Oscar winner for the movie Mysterious River. The actors (photo below) Robbins and Penn were familiar before this project.
In 1995, they worked on the painting "Dead Man Is Coming." Sean was the lead actor in her, and Tim was the director.
Robbins began his film career 6 years earlier than Penn, but became famous in 1986 by playing Sam Wells in The Best Arrow. Soon, the actors began to be invited to the main roles.
In 1992, Robbins wrote the script and directed the movie âBob Robertsâ with him in the lead role. Tim was nominated for the Golden Globe for this work.
This actor has played in more than four dozen films during his career, in addition, he shot three films himself. For the audience, he was remembered for the role of Andy Dufrey in "The Shawshank Redemption."
Stars of the first magnitude are all of the above actors. The Mysterious River made them all famous. Kevin Bacon , despite the fact that he played dozens of roles, remained a supporting actor.
Despite his attractive appearance and talent, he often got the role of a friend of the protagonist, not giving the opportunity to fully reveal his talent. Despite this, he managed to achieve a lot.
In recent years, the actorâs most significant achievement is the role of Sebastian Shaw in X-Men: First Class, and in 2015 he got the main role in the low-budget film The Police Car. He also successfully played the role of an FBI agent for 3 seasons of the series "Followers".
Kevin Bacon has many rewards. He received most of them for his roles in television series (Golden Globe and Saturn). By the way, for the role of Devin in âThe Mysterious River,â Bacon was awarded the Boston Society of Film Critics Prize, and though this is not the most popular award in the world of cinema, itâs nice that his work was appreciated.
Laura Linney as Annabeth Markum
The performer of one of the main female roles in "The Mysterious River" was the magnificent actress Laura Linney.
During her career, she was thrice unsuccessfully nominated for an Oscar, while most of her achievements are associated with TV shows. Having started her career in the early 90s, the actress starred in many films and television, but became famous only in 1998, when the film âTruman Showâ was released. After him, Laura became in demand in the profession, however, more often she got secondary roles.
Linny achieved a lot in 2003, like the other actors. "Mysterious River" gave her a ticket to life. In addition to participating in this film, she appeared in 2 more sensational films (âReal Loveâ, âThe Life of David Galeâ) and one television series (âFraserâ).
Since then, the actress has starred a lot in supporting roles in the movie. On television, she is often given the opportunity to play the main characters, for which she deserves two Golden Globes and an Emmy.
Marsha Gay Harden - Celeste Boyle
Unlike Linney, Marsha Gay Harden quickly put up with the fact that her destiny is secondary heroines, while becoming the queen of episodic roles.
During her career in cinema, which began back in 1979, she starred in more than a hundred paintings and series. Marsha easily played a variety of heroines, without becoming a hostage to one role. In her piggy bank there are a lot of awards: Oscar (Pollock), Emmy, Saturn, Tony and others.
Despite a solid age for the actress (over 50), she is still in demand as in her youth. This is probably the highest praise for the talent of this woman.
Mysterious River: actors playing minor characters
Among the lesser-known actors of The Mysterious River, Emmy Rossum, who played the murdered girl.
After this project, she starred in such masterpieces as The Day After Tomorrow, The Phantom of the Opera, and Poseidon. A little later, Emmy switched to television and since 2011 has been playing the main role in the series Shameless.
In addition, Emmy is a good singer, on her account several albums and video clips.
Another notorious participant in this project is Lawrence Fishborn, who became famous for the role of Morpheus in âMarticaâ. The image of a law enforcement officer, which he well embodied on the screen, soon became his trademark. After the "Mysterious River" he often happened to play special agents, police and military. Among the achievements of the actorâs recent years is the role of the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet in films about Superman.
Other supporting actors: Jenny O'Hara, Spencer True Clark and Robet Wahlberg, as well as Ellie Wallach.
Clint Eastwood - Director and Producer
Despite the many eminent actors in the film, they were able to effectively collaborate on the set. This is a great merit of Clint Eastwood - director of the film "Mysterious River." The film crew and actors unconditionally trusted him, and not in vain, because he rightfully bears the nickname of the "Oscar legend": Eastwood was nominated for him 12 times in different categories.
This man in his life managed to succeed in all fields where he tried himself. In the 50s and 60s, he became famous for the role of a gloomy single cowboy (âFor a Fistful of Dollarsâ, âTwo Mules for Sister Sarahâ, âGood, Bad, Evilâ). In the 70s he changed his role from a cowboy to a âdirtyâ Harry.
In the same period, Eastwood began his directorial career. Today, despite his considerable age (he turned 86 in 2016), he continues to make great films, and sometimes he plays in his films.
In addition to âThe Mysterious Riverâ, among his famous works are the films âBridges of Madison Countyâ, âSpace Cowboysâ, âMillion Dollar Babyâ, âSubstitutionâ, âGran Torinoâ, âG. Edgar "and" American Sniper. "
More than ten years have passed since the movie "Mysterious River" was released, but it is still relevant today. As in 2003, and now the viewer is attracted by the plot and actors. âThe Mysterious Riverâ is a film that, despite the emergence of depressing impressions after watching it, needs to be seen by everyone so that one learns from others' mistakes not to let one's own.