Mystic River (2003)

This is a tense tale of parental loss, grief, and determination to exact retribution. Sean Penn acts the hell out of his scenes, chewing through them with gritted teeth and clenched jaw and teary eyes. He is the father who never stops loving his lost child -- or scheming of how (and on whom) to exact revenge. The ensemble cast does a fine job. The setting and milieu ring true. I nearly gave Mystic River five stars but I held back because I don't like to encourage thugs to act thuggishly, even in movies. Four stars.