Non sono poi molti i thriller che non perdono fascino alle visioni successive:
Mystic River rientra appieno nella ristretta categoria, e resta uno dei miei
Eastwood preferiti.
Le vite di tre amici d'infanzia si riallacciano dopo aver preso strade molto diverse: c'è chi è un fallito ex giocatore di baseball, chi fa il detective e chi non riesce a staccarsi da un passato criminale. La morte della figlia di quest'ultimo porterà i tre a confrontarsi con le loro vite ed il loro tragico passato: anni addietro uno di loro fu infatti rapito e violentato da un pedofilo, segnando per sempre la loro infanzia.
Una sceneggiatura (
Dennis Lehane: vedi alla voce
Gone Baby Gone e l'atteso
Shutter Islanddi
Scorsese) di una bellezza quasi fastidiosa, con dei dialoghi perfetti. Tutto accade con il giusto passo, portando i tre ad una inevitabile (e superba) conclusione.
Personaggi stupendi, complementari in un quadro complessivo in cui nulla stona (diamine: i ruoli delle mogli sembrano essere secondari, ma se si va a guardare nel dettaglio sono spesso loro a muovere i fili!)
Persino le musiche - anche queste di Clint - sono perfette per un film cupo e crudo dove nessuno può dirsi davvero salvo.
La parte bella è che quanto sopra poteva benissimo non esserci: con Clint alla regia e gente come
Sean Penn,
Tim Robbins e
Kevin Bacon (e pure
Laurence Fishburne si comporta bene), si poteva pure tirare nel cesso la sceneggiatura e filmare una gara di rutti - ne sarebbe uscito un capolavoro a prescindere.
.png)
Voto: 10; da vedere e rivedere.
Tags: thriller, crimine, drammatico, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Lehane,
Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, morte, detective, criminale,
pistola, baseball, infanzia, amicizia, pedofilo, pedofilia, violenza, rapina,
figlia, padre, comunione, vendetta, moglie, polizia, sangue, corpo, autopsia, Mystic, molestie, confessione, auto, adolescenti, muto, linguaggio dei
segni, onore, banda, coltello, fidanzato, indagine, trauma, fuga, fiume.
Shutter Island (2010)
Regista: Martin ScorseseScrittore: Laeta Kalogridis,
Dennis LehaneGenere: Drama, Mystery, Horror, Thriller
Durata: 138 min
Paese: USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an
assignment on the island for personal reasons, but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.
Trivia random: Many parts were filmed in the old Massachusetts state mental hospital in Medfield, MA.
Citazione random: Chuck Aule: All I know is it's a mental hospital.
Teddy Daniels: ...for the criminally insane.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Penn, Sean (I)
Nome di battesimo: Penn,
Sean Justin
Data di nascita: 17 August 1960
Altezza: 5' 9½" (1.77 m)
Coniuge: Robin Wright Penn::(27 April 1996 - present) (filed for divorce) 2 children, Madonna::(16 August 1985 -
14 September 1989) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Powerhouse film performer capable of intensely moving work who has gone from strength to strength during a colourful film career, and who has drawn much media attention for his stormy private life and political viewpoints, California-born Sean Penn is the second son
of actress Eileen Ryan & director Leo Penn, also brother of Chris Penn. He first appeared in roles as strong-headed or unruly youths such as the military cadet defending his academy against closure in Taps (1981), then as fast-talking surfer stoner Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982). Fans and critics were enthused about his obvious talent and he
next contributed a stellar performance alongside Timothy Hutton in the Cold War spy thriller The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), followed by a teaming with icy Christopher Walken in the chilling At Close Range (1986). The youthful Sean then paired up with his then wife, pop diva Madonna in the woeful, and painful, Shanghai Surprise (1986), which was savaged by the
critics, but Sean bounced back with a great job as a hot-headed young cop in Colors (1988), gave another searing performance as a US soldier in Vietnam committing atrocities in Casualties of War (1989) and appeared alongside Robert De Niro in the uneven comedy We're No Angels (1989). However, the 1990s was the decade in which Sean really got noticed by
critics as a mature, versatile and accomplished actor, with a string of dynamic performances in first-class films. Almost unrecognisable with frizzy hair and thin rimmed glasses, Penn was simply brilliant as corrupt lawyer David Kleinfeld in the Brian De Palma gangster movie Carlito's Way (1993) and he was still in trouble with authority as a Death Row inmate pleading with a caring
nun to save his life in Dead Man Walking (1995), for which he received his first Oscar nomination. Sean then played the brother of wealthy Michael Douglas, involving him in a mind-snapping scheme in The Game (1997) and also landed the lead role of Sgt. Eddie Walsh in the star-studded anti-war film The Thin Red Line (1998), before finishing the 1990s
playing an offbeat jazz musician (and scoring another Oscar nomination) in Sweet and Lowdown (1999). The gifted and versatile Sean had also moved into directing, with the quirky but interesting The Indian Runner (1991), about two brothers with vastly opposing views on life, and in 1995 he directed Jack Nicholson in The Crossing Guard (1995). Both films received overall positive reviews
from critics. Moving into the new century, Sean remained busy in front of the cameras with even more outstanding work: a mentally disabled father fighting for custody of his seven-year-old daughter (and receiving a third Oscar nomination) for I Am Sam (2001); an anguished father seeking revenge for his daughter's murder in the gut-wrenching Clint Eastwood-directed Mystic River (2003) (for which
he won the Oscar as Best Actor); a mortally ill college professor in 21 Grams (2003) and a possessed businessman in The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004). Certainly Sean Penn is one of Hollywood's most controversial, progressive and gifted actors.
Trivia random: Son, with Robin Wright Penn, Hopper Penn (b. 6 August 1993).
Citazione random: The horror of the Academy Awards
is what the press does leading up to it, to make it a popular TV show. Where they'll actually make it like it's an arm- wrestling event between two actors. That becomes very petty, and that's something that's embarrassing to follow up with accepting the invitation to the party.
Salario massimo: $5,000,000, per I Am Sam (2001)
Filmography
links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Mystic River (2003)
Mystic River
Regista: Clint EastwoodScrittore: Dennis
Lehane,
Brian HelgelandGenere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Valutazione: 8.0/10 (108713 voti) [#214 nella top250]
Durata: 137 min
Paese: USA, Australia
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:Childhood friends Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle reunite following the death of Jimmy's oldest daughter, Katie. Sean's a police detective on the case, gathering difficult and disturbing evidence; he's also tasked with handling Jimmy's rage and need for retribution.
Trivia random: The film that Dave watches on TV in the middle of the night is Vampires (1998).
Citazione random: [thinking about Katie after her death]
Jimmy Markum: I know in my soul I contributed to your death.
Filmography links and data courtesy of
IMDb.
Fishburne, Laurence
Nome di battesimo: III, Laurence J. Fishburne
Data di nascita: 30 July 1961
Altezza: 6' 0½" (1.84 m)
Coniuge: Gina Torres::(20 September 2002 - present) 1 child, Hajna O. Moss::(1985 - 199?) (divorced) 2 children
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritarian roles, Laurence Fishburne, who is often confused with another tall, gap-toothed, mercurial African-American talent, Samuel L. Jackson, came out of the black theater in New York. Born in Augusta, Georgia, on July 30, 1961, Laurence's mother, who taught high school math, transplanted her family to Brooklyn after his parents divorced. At the age of 10, he appeared in his first play, "In My Many Names and Days," at a cramped little theater space in Manhattan.
He continued on but managed to avoid the trappings of a child star per se, considering himself more a working child actor at the time. Billing himself as Larry Fishburne during this early phase, he never studied or was trained in the technique of acting. In 1973, at the age of 12, Laurence won a recurring role on the daytime soap "One Life to Live" (1968) that lasted three seasons and subsequently made his film debut in the ghetto-themed Cornbread, Earl and Me (1975). At 14 Francis Ford Coppola cast him in Apocalypse Now (1979), which
filmed for two years in the Phillippines. Laurence didn't work for another year and a half after that long episode. A graduate of Lincoln Square Academy, Coppola was impressed enough with Laurence to hire him again down the line with featured roles in Rumble Fish (1983), The Cotton Club (1984), and Gardens of Stone (1987). Throughout the 1980s, he continued to build up his film and TV credit list with featured roles despite little fanfare. A recurring role as Cowboy Curtis on the kiddie show "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986) helped him through whatever lean patches there
were at the time. With the new decade (1990s) came out-and-out stardom for Laurence. A choice lead in John Singleton's urban tale Boyz n the Hood (1991) catapulted him immediately into the front of the film ranks. Set in LA's turbulent South Central area, his potent role as a morally minded divorced father who strives to rise above the ignorance and violence of his surroundings, Laurence showed true command and the ability to hold up any film. On stage, he would become invariably linked to playwright August Wilson and his 20th Century epic African-American experience after
starring for two years as the eruptive ex-con in "Two Training Running." For this powerful, mesmerizing performance, Laurence won nearly every prestigious theater award in the books (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Theatre World). It was around the time of this career hallmark that he began billing himself as "Laurence" instead of "Larry." More awards and accolades came his way. In addition to an Emmy for the pilot episode of the series "Tribeca," he was nominated for his fine work in the quality mini-movies The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) (TV) and Miss Evers' Boys
(1997) (TV). On the larger screen, both Laurence and Angela Bassett were given Oscar nominations for their raw, seething portrayals of rock stars Ike and Tina Turner in the film What's Love Got to Do with It (1993). To his credit, he managed to take an extremely repellent character and make it a sobering and captivating experience. A pulp box-office favorite as well, he originated the role of Morpheus, Keanu Reeves' mentor, in the exceedingly popular futuristic sci-fi The Matrix (1999), best known for its ground-breaking special effects. He wisely returned for its back-to-back sequels. Into
the millennium, Laurence extended his talents by making his screenwriting and directorial debut in Once in the Life (2000), in which he also starred. The film is based on his own critically acclaimed play "Riff Raff," which he staged five years earlier. In 1999, he scored a major theater triumph with a multi-racial version of "The Lion in Winter" as Henry II opposite Stockard Channing's Eleanor of Acquitaine. On film, Fishburne has appeared in a variety of interesting roles in not-always-successful films. Never less than compelling, a few of his more notable parts include an
urban speed chess player in Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993); a military prisoner in Cadence (1990); a college professor in Singleton's Higher Learning (1995); a CIA operative in Bad Company (1995/I); the title role in Othello (1995) (he was the first black actor to play the part on film); a spaceship rescue team leader in the sci-fi horror Event Horizon (1997); a Depression-era gangster in Hoodlum (1997); a dogged police sergeant in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003); and a spelling bee coach in Akeelah and the Bee (2006). Earning multiple NAACP Image awards for his
contribution to the entertainment business, he has two children, Langston and Montana, from his first marriage to actress Hajna O. Moss, who appeared with him in the films Gardens of Stone (1987) and A Rage in Harlem (1991). In September, 2002, he married Cuban-American actress Gina Torres.
Trivia random: Appeared with Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now (1979), Cadence (1990), and Bobby (2006). He also worked with Charlie Sheen in Cadence (1990) and Emilio Estevez in Bobby (2006).
Citazione random: "For the last six months people have been coming up to me and saying, 'I
loved you in Pulp Fiction, Mr. Jackson.'" [1996]
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Scorsese, Martin
Nome di battesimo: Scorsese, Martin Marcantonio Luciano
Data di nascita: 17 November 1942
Altezza: 5' 4" (1.63 m)
Coniuge: Helen Morris::(22 July 1999 - present) 1 child, Barbara De Fina::(8 February 1985 - 1991) (divorced), Isabella Rossellini::(29 September 1979 - November 1982) (divorced), Julia Cameron::(30 December 1975 - 1977) (divorced) 1 child, Laraine Marie Brennan::(15 May 1965 - ?) (divorced) 1 child
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:After serious deliberations about
entering the priesthood - he entered a seminary in 1956 - Martin Scorsese opted to channel his passions into film. He graduated from NYU as a film major in 1964. Catching the eye of producer Roger Corman with his 1960s student films (including co-editing Woodstock (1970)), Scorsese directed the gritty exploiter Boxcar Bertha (1972). Mean Streets (1973) followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the Scorsese style: New York settings, loners struggling with inner demons, pointed-shoes rock-meets-opera soundtracks and unrelenting cathartic violence. "Mean Streets" also featured Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, two actors who
would help shape that style. After Scorsese directed Ellen Burstyn to a Best Actress Oscar in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), the trio was reunited for the dark journey of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976). The film achieved additional notoriety five years after its release when Bickle's (De Niro) concern for a teenaged hooker played by Jodie Foster inspired John Hinckley's assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. After New York, New York (1977) (which one critic described as a wife-abuse musical) and The Last Waltz (1978), Scorsese released Raging Bull (1980)
dedicated to his mentor Haig Manoogian. The biography of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta earned two Oscars (Actor - DeNiro, Editing - Thelma Schoonmaker) and was later selected as the best film of the decade by U.S. critic gods Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Scorsese then explored fans as pariah (The King of Comedy (1982)), dark-comic dreams (After Hours (1985)), and revisited pool shark Eddie Felson from The Hustler (1961) ( The Color of Money (1986) with Paul Newman). Scorsese outraged some religious groups by attempting to portray a human son of God in The Last Temptation
of Christ (1988) before returning to more familiar territory with the Mafia in Goodfellas (1990). He followed with two films which were remakes, Cape Fear (1991) and The Age of Innocence (1993). Besides directing and co-writing, Scorsese has also acted. It's interesting to note he played the gunman at the finale of Mean Streets (1973) and the cab passenger planning to kill his wife in Taxi Driver (1976). He also had a role in Dreams (1990).
Trivia random: Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]
Citazione random: There is no such thing as pointless
violence. "City of God" [Cidade de Deus (2002)], is that pointless violence? It's reality, it's real life, it has to do with the human condition. Being involved in Christianity and Catholicism when I was very young, you have that innocence, the teachings of Christ. Deep down you want to think that people are really good - but the reality outweighs that.
Salario massimo: $6,000,000 (had to pay $3 million back due to budget overruns), per Gangs of New York (2002)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Eastwood, Clint
Nome di battesimo: Jr., Clinton Eastwood
Data di nascita: 31 May 1930
Altezza: 6' 2" (1.88 m)
Coniuge: Dina Eastwood::(31 March 1996 - present) 1 child, Maggie Johnson::(19 December 1953 - 14 May 1984) (divorced) 2 children
Ultimi lavori:
Biografia:Like most superstars, Clint Eastwood's success can be attributed to equal parts good fortune, tenacity, and talent. Eastwood may have been too young to fight in World War II, but he managed to miss out on action
in Korea too. On leave as a G.I., his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean and steely-eyed Clint swam three miles to shore. He later was made boot camp swimming instructor and missed out on action in Korea (confined to base). Encouraged to try acting by two of his Army buddies, David Janssen and Martin Milner, he landed a contract at Universal Studios in 1954, earning 75 USD a week playing bit parts in B-grade movies like Revenge of the Creature (1955) and Tarantula (1955). He was dropped when some studio execs decided his Adam's
apple was too big. The determined Eastwood swallowed his pride and, over the next few years, he dug swimming pools between playing bit parts in movies and on TV. While visiting a friend at CBS, Eastwood was spotted by a network exec who cast him as cattle driver Rowdy Yates in the long-running western series "Rawhide" (1959). That, in turn, led to spaghetti stardom in a string of Sergio Leone westerns, beginning with Per un pugno di dollari (1964) ("A Fistful of Dollars"). Eastwood has seven children from five different women. He was married to model
Maggie Johnson and had a long time relationship with frequent co-star Sondra Locke. He lives in Carmel and has been married to his second wife Dina Eastwood since 1996.
Trivia random: Sondra Locke wrote an autobiography titled "The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly", which
included details about her troubled relationship with him.
Citazione random: If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.
Salario massimo: $12,000,000 (15% of gross), per Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Bacon, Kevin (I)
Nome di battesimo: Bacon, Kevin Norwood
Data di nascita: 8 July 1958
Altezza: 5' 10½" (1.79 m)
Coniuge: Kyra Sedgwick::(4 September 1988 - present) 2 children
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Kevin Bacon's early training as an
actor came from The Manning Street. His debut as the strict Chip Diller in Animal House (1978) almost seems like an inside joke, but he managed to escape almost unnoticed from that role. Diner (1982) became the turning point after a couple of TV series and a number
of less-than-memorable movie roles. In a cast of soon-to-be stars, he more than held his end up, and we saw a glimpse of the real lunatic image of The Bacon. He also starred in Footloose (1984), in She's Having a Baby (1988), in Tremors (1990) with Fred Ward, in Flatliners (1990), and in Apollo 13 (1995).
Trivia random: Has never lived in Hollywood or Los Angeles.
Citazione random: And life has taught me that if I am to have a satisfying career, I have to take three things out of the mix. The first
is the size of my part. The second is the size of the budget. And the third is the size of my salary. Once you get rid of those things, your possibilities exponentially explode. You get to work with the directors who matter. You get to make
movies like The Woodsman (2004).
Salario massimo: $2,500,000, per Sleepers (1996)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Robbins, Tim (I)
Nome di battesimo: Robbins, Timothy Francis
Data di nascita: 16 October 1958
Altezza: 6'
5" (1.96 m)
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Born in West Covina, California, but raised in New York City, Tim Robbins is the son of former The Highwaymen singer Gil Robbins and actress Mary
Robbins. Robbins studied drama at UCLA, where he graduated with honors in 1981. That same year, he formed the Actors' Gang theater group, an experimental ensemble that expressed radical political observations through the European avant-garde form of theater. He started film work in TV movies in 1983, but
hit the big time in 1988 with his portrayal of dim-witted fastball pitcher "Nuke" Laloosh in Bull Durham (1988). Tall with baby-faced looks, he has the ability to play naive and obtuse (Cadillac Man (1990) and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)) or slick and shrewd (The Player (1992) and Bob Roberts (1992)).
Trivia random: Considers himself the worlds biggest New York Rangers fan. He claims to own every highlight video released of their 1994 Stanley Cup Championship season. He is also a big New York Mets fan.
Citazione random: Haven't criminal acts occurred in government? Shouldn't
there be accountability for inept policy decisions? Shouldn't someone be fired? And you know something? I didn't hear any of that, because I am still thinking about that starlet getting out of the car without the panties.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Lehane, Dennis (II)
Data di nascita: 4 August 1965
Coniuge: Sheila::(? - ?) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori: Trivia random: His last day job was as a chauffeur at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston.
Citazione random: "I found that I could write two kinds of short stories: I could write very absurd, kind of surrealistic, funny stories; or I could write very dark, realistic -- hyper- realistic -- stories. I was never happy with that, because I couldn't meld the two. And my view of life is that it's both." - August 1999
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb. 
