https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbRKMhXsq8
Mystic river
For this assignment’s scene analysis I want to look at one of the concluding sequences of Clint Eastwood’s 2003 film Mystic River. The scene plays an integral role in concluding the previous climax of the film as well as deepening audiences understanding of the characters’ motivations and actions. As a piece of brief context, the film focuses on three protagonists, Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Dave (Tim Robbins). The beginning of the film shows these three as childhood friends, playing in the street before Dave is abducted and sexually abused. The narrative jumps forward to these characters as adults, Sean now a detective, Jimmy a gangster and Dave an unstable married man. The essentials of the plot, at least for the purpose of this discussion are as follows;
- Jimmy’s daughter is murdered
- Dave is portrayed to the audience as a likely suspect, mostly through the dialogue and portrayal from Robbins as Dave is seen as very mentally unstable.
- Sean is investigating the murder of Jimmys daughter as well as the murder of a paedophile (which Dave killed.)
By the time of this sequence Jimmy has murdered Dave, incorrectly suspecting him of killing his daughter. The reason for his misplaced suspicion of Dave is presented through an array of different cinematic and plot elements intended to mislead audiences into believing he was responsible. Whilst the majority of these loose ends have concluded by this point in the story the lingering question presented to the audience is whether or not Sean, being fully aware of what Jimmy has done, will take action to arrest him. This remaining factor is presented as a heavy question of morality for Sean as his job requires him to act on this knowledge however he is torn as he and Jimmy have a complicated history as a result of Dave’s abduction. This loose end is not directly answered by the film and is really left to the interpretation of the audience, however, in my analysis of this sequence I believe it is answered through the camera techniques employed.
The reason I find this sequence worth analysing is not only to attempt to dissect the result of the conflict between these two but also to discuss the incredibly effective way in which camera techniques are used to summarise this plot point. The coverage as the two sit in the gutter and Sean questions Jimmy on Daves whereabouts is reasonably simple. The most notable coverage decision in the first 50 seconds is that of the exclusion of Sean as Jimmy receives more information covering how he has mistaken Dave as the perpetrator of his daughter’s murder. This combined with the close up shot mainly acts to provide a focus on Penn’s acting, as he portrays his character painfully processing this information.
The following coverage is perhaps the most important in reflecting the conclusion of this narrative. As the two move into the middle of the street and Sean continues asking about Dave there are two camera movements which I feel strongly reflect the relationship of the two men. The first and perhaps the most overt use of camera technique is that of the backward tracking shot which moves down the road, away from the two. This camera movement and the resulting shot is used as a sort of motif throughout the film, this being the second time it is shown. Initially it displays the same two characters as children during the abduction of Dave, in the opening it portrays this sense of dismay as the two characters stand looking scared and upset for their friend. This is again used in this sequence to evoke the same emotion, the dismay this time a result of Jimmy murdering his old friend and Sean’s realisation that he is required by his profession to act upon his knowledge. It further draws comparison to this emotion as the two actors literally appear to become smaller in the frame as the camera moves further away, closer reflecting the size of their innocent, scared, younger selves than the grown men they are now.
The second camera movement which is used to reflect the dynamic between these two is in the form of a track and pan. As the sequence cuts back to focus on the two continuing their discussion we are shown a shot, reverse shot from behind the two actors. These shots cut back and forth between the actors as they give dialogue, Sean asking Jimmy what he’s done and Jimmy avoiding a direct confession, instead admitting through wishing Sean had “been a little faster.” Through this piece of dialogue Jimmy is indirectly admitting that the news Sean delivered on the real murderers of his daughter has come too late and had it been earlier he would not have killed Dave. Bacon hangs his head in sorrow, displaying his understanding of what Jimmy is implying and portraying Sean as mourning at the loss of his old friend. Following this exchange the camera tracks and pans around the side of Jimmy, moving to be beside the two but in front, displaying both actors as they continue talking (00:01:45). This camera movement’s importance is to allow the audience to see both actors as they continue their conversation, it visually represents them discussing as equals rather than cop and perpetrator. We no longer see one actor’s expressions whilst delivering their lines, dancing around the crime committed but instead they both come together in discussion of Dave’s abduction. It is in this moment that the two are no longer in conflict, they instead talk about the tragedy as friends, discussing the effect it had on all three of them rather than just Dave. Furthermore the inclusion of the camera’s movement, rather than just a cut to display the two from front on, matches Sean’s shift in motivation. He questions if Jimmy will send Dave’s wife 500 dollars a month, as he had done for the family of one of his previous victims, simultaneously admitting to knowledge of what Jimmy has done whilst informing him that he won’t take action upon this. This camera motion is intended to reflect that, as he ‘comes around’ to acting as a friend rather than a cop, so does the camera.
Whilst the outcome of the remaining conflict between these two can certainly be debated i think that within this sequence the camera movements act to display Sean turning a blind eye. The camera motion alone within this scene acts to position the two together as equals rather than at conflict. The repeated backward tracking shot displays them as still attached to the tragedy they witnessed as children and the following track and pan similarly supports this. Whilst the dialogue alone displays the knowledge both characters possess to the audience, the camera techniques themselves act to support this while suggesting that these two’s conflict is drowned out in the wake of their shared experience.
Maverick, J, Mystic River (2003) Scene: “The last time I saw Dave, YouTube, 30 August, 2015, Youtube, viewed 16 April 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xbRKMhXsq8>.