Mystic River

From his slacker surfer dude stint in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Sean Penn has come a long way to mature into a young Al Pacino-type in this film based on Dennis LeHane’s best-selling novel. With the ferocity in his eyes and the bags under his eyes, Penn, like Pacino, uses his intensity to convey a complex character desperately trying to cope with a family catastrophe, 20-year -old horrors, unsuspected traitors and the ultimate revenge. Other noteworthy performances by Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden and Kevin Bacon add to the film. Although you can feel every second of the 133-minute running time, director Clint Eastwood successfully juggles every plot twist and turn to create this multi-layered suspense drama.