That's "Every Which Way But Loose," by the way.
So:
1. Your reaction so far? What scene or moment has stayed with you since this morning? And why?
2. I was talking about the camera "whooshing" upwards in the scene where Jimmy Markum discovers his daughter is dead. This is that moment. It's not as if Clint hasn't used a moving camera in the other movies or shown panoramic shots before (think of all those images of Iwo Jima or Ramadi). But this is different. We know there's a sky up there. And why shoot down on Jimmy as he howls in anguish? So think about this before you answer: why is Clint doing this at this moment—and to what effect?
3. What makes "Mystic River" a Clint Eastwood movie as we have been experiencing them?
Look back on the last blog—see the length that Sam or Libby or Max take in answering the questions. That's the length we're looking for.
See you guys tomorrow.
I really don’t like the movie very much so far. It’s a depressing movie with seemingly no chance of getting happier. Above that, though, it’s very unmemorable for me. With these other movies, I have found myself grappling with the morality, and questioning what could happen next. After exiting the room this morning, I was simply in a fog and had no interest in seeing how the film ends. One moment that stood out: as the two men (Jimmy and Dave) are sitting on the porch, Jimmy cannot contain his tears. Yet Dave sits emotionless, which is just more evidence to the viewer that Dave is a prime suspect. I am weary, though, that Eastwood is trying to mislead us.
ReplyDeleteThat upward, wooshing shot of the scene is almost a compilation of the anguish that the scene imparts. It gives a holistic view on an incredibly heart-wrenching scene. It shows the aggressiveness of Jimmy, as he tries to learn about what happened to his daughter. Another interesting thing about that shot is that Jimmy is yelling upwards (essentially towards the camera). He screams toward the sky, and the camera shows that much clearer from that angle.
Mystic River has many of the same themes that we have seen in our other movies so far – masculinity, death, moral dilemmas, plenty of cigarette smoke and beer drinking, etc. In my opinion, the theme that has stayed with me through all three the strongest is masculinity. What’s interesting in Mystic River is the way in which Eastwood shows how the car abuse impacts Jimmy’s masculinity. Eastwood shows a stark contrast in the masculinity of the two other boys, Sean and Jimmy. It will be interesting to see how the awkward relationship among the three men culminates, and to see if Dave did, indeed, commit the murder as we suspect.
1. "Mystic River" is definitely dark and disturbing, but after seeing a few of Clint's other movies, this feel comes as no surprise. The film is a bit slower than the others that we have seen but even so I have found myself enjoying watching the mystery unfold and be pieced together. One moment from the film that has stayed with me was the moment where Jimmy is pushing through the crowd assembled on the street to see what all the fuss is about. In this moment he sees his daughter's car on the side with the all policemen and the audience can tell that he immediately knows something is up. This scene was memorable to me because of how fast Jimmy realizes that everything is not ok. This shot really emphasized the bond that a parent has with their child
ReplyDelete2. Almost all things in movies are planned. Every detail is deliberate and decided upon by the director. There are a few exceptions where something looked cool and it was kept in the movie, but in general this is not the case. Clint's shots from above and looking up are not accidents. Earlier in the movie (before the scene in the link above) there are two images of religion that are presented. One of these images is of Jimmy's younger daughter's first communion. This scene shows that Jimmy is a religious man and that he would be associated with a belief in some sort of godlike figure. The other image that depicts religion is the image of the priest that abuses Dave. Not such a great image of religion presented here. What I think the panning does is raise the question if there really is some sort of god watching over all these people, then why are all these terrible things happening. During the shot of Jimmy looking up in anguish, it is almost like he is screaming at a person in the sky. This scene is not the only scene where Clint pans up to the sky. This direction is also seen during the scene where Dave is running through the woods. The camera pans to the sky as the two worst scenarios of the movie are presented brining up the question of how anyone could let these two terrible things happen.
3. "Mystic River", like some of the other movies we've seen, brings up the idea of how people deal with suffering, and how suffering affects those around a person that are living with this pain. They have also shone light on how traumatic experiences can deeply effect people and how they can stick with people for exceedingly long periods of time. This movie and past movies also revolve around the ideas of morality. It also, like many of Clint's movies, depicts the darker side of humanity. Another characteristic that has been showing itself in Clint's movies is that his movies really cause the audience to think. They are not to just be taken at face value. There is much more going on in these films then a viewer might realize.
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ReplyDeleteSo far, I am enjoying the movie. The style of the movie surprised me—it's not what I was expecting from a Clint Eastwood movie. It's sort of in the crime/murder mystery genre, which is nothing like I've seen from him up to this point. Throughout the movie I found myself wondering what was going through Eastwood's mind as he directed this movie. I like the film but it seems like Clint Eastwood was stepping a little out of his comfort zone for this one. So far, I believe he succeeded in capturing whatever it was he was after. One of my favorite scenes from this morning was the scene where Celeste comes home to Dave watching television and Dave begins to accuse her of thinking he was the one that killed Katie. The tension in the scene was tangible, and the way Dave went from talking about the night of Katie's murder to his abduction that we witnessed at the beginning of the movie was an interesting tie-in. If I remember correctly, Dave played the pronoun game a lot with Celeste when it came to talking about exactly what his kidnappers did to him in the cellar.
ReplyDeleteWhen the camera "whooshes" the camera upwards at this moment because it shows Jimmy from above, surrounded by police officers attempting to confine him. Jimmy's pain, like the whooshing shot of the sky, is so much larger than himself. Looking down on Jimmy, we get a much better view of the overwhelming anguish, anger, and grief that Jimmy is experiencing. However, I also believe that an up close shot of Jimmy screaming and writhing in the officers' grip would have been just as effective. In both ways, we see just how truly anguished Jimmy is at the moment.
Although I believe "Mystic River" isn't a Clint Eastwood movie as we have been experiencing them, it definitely has Clint-y qualities. The film has a sort of grit to it that most Clint Eastwood movies have. Not only does it look like it's being shot through a filter that is slightly dulling the colors in the film, but even the dialogue is gritty. This film also has one of Clint Eastwood's major movie themes: death and loss. Similar to the other Eastwood movies we've watched, we get to witness how the death or loss of someone in the film effects the main character(s).
1 I personally enjoy this movie. These type of movies really interest me. I watch a lot of criminal minds, CSI, and other crime investigation shows so it's always fun to see movies with similar plots. A movie that I saw recently that is kinda similar is "The Secret in Their Eyes." Just thought I'd put it in there. Back to the question, I am always at the edge of my seat, listening to see if I can try to figure out who done it. The intro scene really stuck with me. Right now, it's fairly out of place. It doesn't really belong just yet. It's bothered me because I'm trying to figure out how it is going to fit, but nothing's adding up. It's also a very interesting scene having a kid get abducted by "police." The main reason it's stuck is because I've been theory crafting.
ReplyDelete2 Clint's choice to "whoosh" up does add a dramatic effect to the scenes it's in. Generally you would see that pan up and out at the end of a movie when everything is resolved. It gave me a false sense of peacefulness when it did that. Just seeing the trees and sky is a beautiful sight. Knowing that a girl is dead makes it eerie, but as he keeps panning out it gets smaller and smaller. I feel like Clint is saying how it's a small loss in a big world. But to Jimmy the world is massive for him. Jimmy being shot down at shows how little he is in this situation. His daughter has died and there isn't anything he can do. Looking down at someone makes you see them as less or smaller and I bet that's how Jimmy feels after losing his daughter.
3 What makes this a Clint Eastwood movie is the themes of heroism and violence. Both clearly present. Jimmy wanting to be a hero and seeking revenge for the death of his daughter. Sean on the other hand is also trying to solve the case with as little violence, also sorta making him a hero if he does solve it. Jimmy is using the savage brothers to try and get Intel on the death of his daughter. He wants whoever killed his daughter dead and he promised her (at the church) that he would. Everyone is trying to be a hero and find and capture/kill this person. Violence has been prevalent with murder and what Dave did. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more violence to come. I can't wait to see what the rest of the movie has in store.
~Nick
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ReplyDelete1. I definitely don't like this movie as much as all of the other ones we have watched, for a couple of reasons. For starters, there are no characters that pop out to me and I like (or am even supposed to like). That has always been important to me and is prevalent in some of Eastwood's other movies like Gran Torino. The entire movie has a dark vibe and there is almost no comedic relief to the point where it's painful to watch. Every character in the movie (so far) is sad. An element that I do like is the complexity of the relationships and the mystery that has carried all the way so far in the movie. This mystery makes me want to come back and finish it even though I don't necessarily like the characters.
ReplyDelete2. The reason for this movement with the camera is to kind of jolt the audience, similar to how Jimmy is feeling. He is suddenly extremely hurt, and the director's way of making us feel the same is to move the camera very fast. Also you can see all of Jimmy's pain in the crowd from the sky where he would be blocked by other people if the angle was straight from on the ground.
3. I find it very different from the other movies. For one, it isn't involved with war. As I mentioned before, the tone is darker than we have seen even in a movie like Gran Torino where the main character is clearly suffering. This vibe that Eastwood decides to give in this movie is new from the movies that we've seen in class so far, but is an understandable theme for Eastwood along with the grittiness that comes in the movie. A similarity with this movie and one like American Sniper is the idea of death and dealing with killing. Although we do not yet know who the killer is, the idea that any of the friends could have done it reminds the audience of the pain of loss that was also experienced in a movie like American Sniper.
1. I would say that this is my favorite movie so far. I appreciate the element of mystery that this movie has that was lacking in the other. Granted, it is difficult to make a movie like “American Sniper” a mystery when almost every person going into it already knew the ending, but still this movie has me on the edge of my seat more than the others. Throughout the movie I was constantly thinking of new twists that could be added and possible killers, whereas in “Flag of Our Fathers” there was no way a Japanese soldier was suddenly going to turn sides. I also think that this movie has a much more “real” feeling than the others. Trying to imagine myself in a war zone or in gang territory is difficult, (I am aware this is simply because of how privileged I am and does not apply to most people) but having a friend be murdered, though far-fetched, is something that could possibly happen. This “realness” of this movie makes me feel as though I am a part of it rather than simply a spectator.
ReplyDelete2. I think that this scene is to show how “small” Jimmy has become. As Jimmy stands by the crime scene ordering greasy haired goons around he displays a certain amount of power, the viewer believes he has everything under control. However, when Jimmy finds out that his daughter has been killed this power and control completely leave him. Though he is kicking and screaming all of his efforts will not do him any good. The sheer number of policemen that are holding him down shows just how incapable he has become. A similar statement is made in that the “wooshing” of the camera makes the viewer feel as though God is watching. This also shows that the great Jimmy leader of all of those goons is nothing when compared with God.
3. “Mystic River” is similar to other the others in two ways. First, in death. Though fewer people (one, maybe two it is unclear) die in this movie it does ponder death in a similar way. Who deserves to die? Why do people die? All of Clint’s movies, from the death of the soldiers in “American Sniper” to Walt’s death in “Gran Torino” explore the meaning and power of death. Many of the movies also explore PTSD. Though the character’s PTSD comes from different circumstances Boyle’s from being locked up and Ida and Kyle’s from experiencing war Eastwood explored the very real effect of PTSD on people and on their families. If in fact Boyle is the one who killed Kate, I can only assume that it will have something to do with his previous imprisonment.
1. So far, I like the movie in the sense that I really want to know what happens next. I don't really like how dark the entire movie is. Every scene is very gloomy and has a depressing haze hanging over the whole screen, which kind of gives me a headache. That being said, I really like the suspense of the movie. Since it is kind of like a murder mystery, it does a good job of keeping me guessing who the killer is. Even though the movie seems to give the impression that Dave killed her, it is unclear exactly what his motive would be besides that he has mental health problems after being abused. The moment that sticks with me the most is when Dave finally tells his wife what happened to him as a kid, and how it affected him. It was a very powerful scene to see him saying how Dave died in that room and that someone completely different came out of that room. It gave me more of an insight to his character, and it also made me more sympathetic to him and real people with shared experiences.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the reason that Clint Eastwood decided to show the overhead view of Jimmy trying to fight off all of the police officers to show how extremely distraught he was at his daughter's death. That whole scene is kind of like a sucker punch to the stomach. It is an intensely emotional scene, and adding the overhead view of Jimmy attempting to fight his way through about 8 police officers shows how hard he is willing to fight for her, even though he knows in his heart that she is dead. Additionally, I think the part of the scene where the camera pans up from the body to the sky shows a bit of a religious aspect. I think that Clint was trying to show how her spirit or soul was leaving her. The pan was kind of a symbol of death, at least for me. It was a way of showing how she had died and was moving on to "the next life."
3. I think this movie is a very "Clint Eastwood" Clint Eastwood movie. It has a very dark feel to it, which is a common theme to his more recent movies, especially the ones he has directed. Also, it still involves his fascination with stereotypical masculinity. Jimmy is a very masculine guy, and he seems to struggle with his emotions, which is also a common struggle for "masculine" guys. He says that it bothers him that he can't even cry for his daughter, and also he promises to her that he will kill whoever killed her. This also ties in another one of Clint's favorite themes, violence. There hasn't been much violence in this movie yet besides the abuse and murder, but Jimmy is more than willing to handle things that way if he has to. Another thing that makes this movie very "Clint Eastwood", is the fact that it focuses on a death. In a lot of his more recent films, death has played a very key role. Since this is sort of s murder mystery, death is a center so theme. Overall, a lot of things make this a typical Clint Eastwood film.
1. Like all Eastwood movies we've watched, I'm enjoying this one a lot. I think the story is interesting, and the acting is some of the best we've seen. Tim Robbins is one of my favorites, and who doesn't love Kevin Bacon or Sean Penn? An all-star acting crew with the Michael Jordan of directions is a recipe for one incredible movie. The scene that has stuck with me the most is the one where Sean Penn has realized that his daughter is dead, and is struggling with 6 or 7 police officers to get to the body. You can just see the look of utter despair on his face... It's really quite sad.
ReplyDelete2. Clearly, Sean Penn's character, Jimmy, is a religious man. We see the tattoo of the cross he has, the cross that he wears around his neck (I believe...), and we hear all this talk about church, and his daughter's first communion. I think that the downward looking shot is a reference to him looking up at God for answers. He clearly feels like he has been wronged, and his daughter has been wronged, and he wants God to answer for the pain that he's forced to suffer through.
3. A constant theme in all the Clint Eastwood movies we've watched is suffering, and loss. Walt Kowalski has plenty of loss and suffering, as do the warriors at Iwo Jima and even Chris Kyle. Mystic River is no different. The film even begins with a horrible event in the kidnapping of a young Tim Robbins, and there's even more suffering when Sean Penn's daughter is murdered. All Clint Eastwood movies are dark, too, and Mystic River fits right in. A theme in all the other Eastwood movies that we've seen is war being a central idea. In Mystic River, war isn't even mentioned. In this way, Mystic River is unlike the rest, but in every other sense, Mystic River is a classic Eastwood flick.
Surprisingly, I have like the movie so far. You said it would be a dark movie, and generally, I do not like dark movies. But, this movie hasn't been so dark, but it has been a great mystery. The image that has stuck with me all day was that of Jimmy's dead daughter. The image was so gruesome but at the same time it's sparked interest in me. I obviously want to know who the killer is.
ReplyDeleteI think the whooshing of the camera was used to show Jimmy's anguish and pain that he was suffering, not knowing if his dead daughter was in the pit or if she was even dead. Also, for me, the camera moving up to show the sky seemed like it was portraying that Jimmy's screams were reaching up to heaven asking God "why?". It seemed like Jimmy felt as though he was being punished for things he previously did, such as going to jail. I think the angle of the camera on Jimmy adds a more dramatic effect by almost putting us and Jimmy situation. We, the watchers, can see extremely clearly the pain he feels while he is screaming because of the angle of the camera. Clint Eastwood did a great job of portraying the pain Jimmy was feeling with the good actor and the perfect angle. Also, the angle made Jimmy seem vulnerable.
"Mystic River" is a Clint Eastwood movie as we have been experiencing them because tragedy and loss are two major themes in the movie as in all of his others. Also, one of the main characters can't live with himself. In Flags of our Fathers Ira couldn't live with himself, so he went back to the war. In this movie Dave, the guy who stabbed the mugger, potentially killing him, and was abducted as a kid, doesn't know what to do with himself, how he should feel, or even the rights and wrongs like telling the police the truth. And, lastly, there has been the smoking and drinking to numb stress that we have seen in all of his other movies.
I have seen every movie we’ve watched in class so far, but viewing them for a second time does not take away form my enjoyment. When I watch movie on my own I typically don’t spend much time thinking about the director’s motives. I watch to the movie just to be entertained. In this class, I am forced to think critically, so even though I’m watching these movies over again, I am looking at them though a different perspective. Mystic River is an intense movie. Like John said, it’s probably not a movie you would go see on a date. This movie is truly suspenseful. The viewer has no clue who killed Jimmy’s girl. Sometimes movies in the whodunit genre are predicable, but not this one. The first time I saw this movie I had absolutely no idea who murdered Katie until the very in. After seeing amateur actors play a big role in Gran Torino, it was refreshing to see great performances from Tim Robbins, Sean Penn and Kevin Bacon.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Jimmy discovers his daughter is dead, the camera pushes down on Jimmy as he is swallowed by police officers. The birds eye view gives the viewer a close look at the pain Jimmy experiences. This may be a stretch, but Jimmy, who is a religious man, may be questioning his faith. How could a merciful God take away his little girl. Jimmy screams towards the camera, possibly cursing God for letting this happen. Next, the camera shows the dead body laying in the pit, and then it pans up towards the sky. As the camera moves up towards the sky, the audience can hear birds chirping and the city over the river. I think Eastwood is trying to show that even one man’s world is destroyed, life still continues. In the midst of all this chaos, the birds continue to sing their song.
In American Sniper, Flags of Our Fathers, and Gran Torino, Eastwood explores the qualifications of a hero. In this movie, there is no hero. The only similarity between Mystic River and the aforementioned films is the dark subject matter. Within the first ten minutes of Mystic River, a child is kidnapped and raped. While this type of tragedy is unique, it still is hard for the viewer to digest. From the way the first three films ended, I think it’s safe to assume there will be no happy ending in this movie.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a well made and powerful film. While I recognize that this is very good movie, I'm not exactly a huge fan because of how dark it is. This is a very Eastwood-like film. We haven’t watched a happy movie yet, but this is certainly the darkest. What separates this picture from the others is the fact that no matter what the ending has in store, there is no light at the end of the tunnel because a nineteen year old girl has been brutally murdered. Finding her killer isn’t going to make the film any happier.
In any film, (or good one for that matter) the cinematography is planned to have just as much of an effect on the viewer as the acting and the story. This scene is already incredibly powerful as we see Jimmy wailing in anguish for his beloved Katie. In order to make the scene even more dramatic and powerful, Clint has the camera whoosh upwards. On top of adding drama to the scene, it also gives the viewer a better understanding of just how many officers are having to restrain him. No matter how hard he fights, Jimmy is completely powerless as nothing can bring his daughter back.
There are quite a few themes that we have seen in Eastwood’s films so far— masculinity, right and wrong, religion, indulgence, violence and war among others. Just about all of those appear in “Mystic River.” Particularly masculinity and morality. On top of the thematic similarities, the film feels very “Eastwoody” in the sense that it has a very dark tone.
I like the movie so far, but I wouldn’t say I love it. It’s certainly dark and disturbing, and that was definitely intentional, but it does seem fairly formulaic as of this point. It does throw the occasional curveball with the arrangement of the flashbacks and its backstory on Dave, but at the moment, it seems rather like a standard (albeit better acted and directed) murder story. The scene that’s really stuck with me since this morning is the bit where Dave’s wife finally confronts him in their home. He’s rambling about vampires, undeath, transformation and his childhood trauma, and you can see her physically becoming more and more terrified and repulsed by her own husband. It’s a very disturbing moment, as the viewer comes to realize that Dave is definitely unhinged in some way, at the same time that his wife does. I thought it was a very well-done and extremely well acted scene.
ReplyDeleteI thought Clint’s decision to not only pan away, but to pan upward was a very interesting one. It brings to mind one of my personal favorite movies, Children of Men, in which the camera often lingers or drifts off to show the background or the world. That was my first thought when watching the film, but in most of these pans, Clint has us facing the sky— There’s no world-building going on up there. The scene with Jimmy being held back by the police was very well-shot. I thought of it as a way to show how small Jimmy feels at that moment, with the swarm of police surrounding him on all sides, as he shrinks in the camera’s view and collapses, screaming. It was a fantastic and horrific way to show the pure rage and outpouring of sadness taking place within the character. The sky-pans, meanwhile, seemed to provide a transition, as well as to simply show the mood of the scenes based on the sky.
Mystic River features, of course, Clint Eastwood’s trademark theme of masculinity and coming to terms with it. In American Sniper and Flags of our Fathers, this came about through war and violence. In Mystic River, we see a primal part of Davey’s masculinity violated and destroyed when he was only a child, and then we see how these three young boys have grown into men and how they deal with the world. Mystic River also deals with loss and suffering, and goes into how the characters deal and live with everything they’ve been through. Another shared quality among the four films we’ve seen is Clint’s portrayal of the seemingly innate evil in some people, and how others became bad, or at least misguided, through the struggles of their lives.
So far, this movie is very slow moving and at times can be hard to follow. The mysteriousness and darkness of the movie is kind of interesting to me though. The characters are odd and definitely have been developed because you see them as kids and how that affected their adult lives. The scene that stood out to me the most was when Dave was abducted and taken away, I could definitely tell something was wrong in that scene. The audience is able to tell that there is something not quite right about those "police men" but the characters are just kids so they believe these men are actual police.
ReplyDeleteThe camera movement adds to the intensity really well during really tough scenes to watch or emotional scenes. For me whenever I was starting to look away the camera would move. For example, the scene where Jimmy comes to the crime scene and he's wailing I really didn't feel like watching Sean Penn cry so I started to kind of avert my eyes. Also his noises he was making were very animalistic. But as I looked away I noticed that the camera started moving up. Clint Eastwood must've known people don't always want to watch these really hard to watch.
This movie is very dark and intense as pretty much all the other movies we have seen are. It is also a very Americana film in that it takes place in inner city Boston in kind of a rough area. This movie also deals with heroism to an extent to me because the boys regret not acting when Dave was taken away and that moment haunts them their whole lives.
1. I like the movie so far and I am very very curious about who killed Jimmy's daughter! Two scenes have stock with me after watching the movie today one is the very first scene we see where Dave gets taken by the "police", and the scene where we see Jimmy's daughter who has been beaten and Jimmy fighting to see if it is he and the police holding him back. They have stock with me because both scenes are very sad and hard to bear, I can't believe being taken by to men and being abused and I could never ever imagine seeing my daughter beaten to death in a ditch.
ReplyDelete2. I think that Clint uses the camera angle in that scene as in the heaves are looking down on him and Jimmy's daughter is now up in heaven looking down on how her father is so heart broken and unable to accept the fact that his daughter is gone. Also that God knows what Jimmy is gonna do to who ever killed his daughter.
3. In all of Clint Eastwoods films so far we have seen suffering and the lose of a loved one or someone close to the main character, we see how the characters deal with The cards they have been dealt, and how they wear the chip that has been placed on their shoulder. We see how in mystic river jimmy deals with the loss off his daughter and how Dave can not handle what has happened to him in the past.
1- I liked this movie because I like murder mysteries. The mystery genre always intrigues me, I like pieces things together. I also enjoyed the moral dilemmas introduced in the movie. Like loyalty to family a and what you do for your family a and when it goes too far. I always enjoy watching movies that make the viewer think about what is going on and themes introduced. I especially liked Jimmy's character and how controversial he is. The scene that stuck with me was when Jimmy cried on the porch over his dead daughter after saying he hasn't had time to morn yet. I thought that was interesting how Jimmy feels that he has to be the strong person he is and only allows himself to cry in front of his old friend who (I think) represents his childhood.
ReplyDelete2- Eastwood shows the panning camera in the movie to show a different perspective and point of view in the movie. The panning camera allowed people to view the movie from the point of view of someone (or something) above the events of the story. I like how Eastwood allowed the viewer to view the movie from this perspective. This god like perspective allows the viewers to step back and view the movie through unbiased eyes.
3. Mystic River is an Eastwood movie because of the themes that come up in this movies also come up in Eastwood's other movies. Themes such as loyalty, vengeance, moral dilemmas, and character that aren't necessarily good or bad. Jimmy was the character that showed most of these themes. If Eastwood were to be in the movie my guess is he would play Jimmy and I think Jimmy was the main character in terms of driving the story and themes. These themes come up when Jimmy tries to get revenge for the death of his daughter and he is willing to kill for his vengeance. Although the moral dilemma (at least one of them) is when does vengeance and loyalty to your family go too far? Was it right for Jimmy to kill Dave after everything Dave went through. Dave was a murder but he murdered a bad man. These types of dilemmas are common in Eastwood movies such as unforgiven when Will killed Bill and was that right. These themes come up in many Eastwood movies and these themes are why I recognize Mystic a River as an Eastwood movie.