百年50部英文烧脑电影赏析:[27]Mystic River 神秘河

Three boys, Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle, play hockey in a Boston street in 1975. Spotting wet concrete, the boys commence writing their names into it when a car pulls up with two men, pretending to be police officers. One of the men gets out and berates the boys for their actions, and tells Dave to get into the car. The men are pedophiles, and hold Dave captive and sexually abuse him for four days, until he escapes.
Twenty-five years later, the boys are now grown and, while they still live in Boston, have drifted apart. Jimmy（Sean Penn）is an ex-con running a neighborhood store，while Dave（Tim Robbins）is a blue-collar worker, still haunted by his abduction. The two are still neighbors and related by marriage. Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter Katie（Rossum）is secretly dating Brendan Harris, a boy Jimmy despises. She and Brendan are planning to run away together to Las Vegas.
Katie goes out for the night with her girlfriends and is seen by Dave at a local bar. That night, Katie is murdered, and Dave comes home with an injured hand and blood on his clothes, which his wife Celeste（Harden）helps him clean up. Dave claims that he fought off a mugger and “bashed his head into the concrete”, and possibly killed him. Sean（Bacon）, who is now a detective with the Massachusetts State Police, investigates Katie's murder. In a subplot Sean's pregnant wife Lauren has left him. Over the course of the film, Sean and his partner, Sergeant Whitey Powers（Fishburne）, track down leads while Jimmy conducts his own investigation using his neighborhood connections. Sean discovers that the gun used to kill Katie was also used in a liquor store robbery during the 1980s by “Just Ray” Harris, the father of Katie's boyfriend. Harris has been missing since 1989, but Brendan claims he still sends his family $500 every month. Brendan also feigns ignorance about Ray's gun but Sean believes that it was still in the house. Sergeant Powers suspects Dave as a possible perpetrator because he was one of the last people to see Katie alive. He also has a wounded hand and even though he continues to tell his wife he got it while being mugged, he tells the police a different story — soon Jimmy becomes suspicious of it. Dave continues to behave strangely, which upsets his wife to the point she is afraid he will hurt her. While Jimmy and his associates conduct their investigation, Dave's wife eventually tells Jimmy about Dave's behavior and the bloody clothing and her suspicions.
Jimmy and his friends get Dave drunk at a local bar. When Dave leaves the bar, the men follow him out. Jimmy tells Dave that he shot “Just Ray” Harris at that same location for ratting him out and sending him to jail. Jimmy informs Dave that his wife thinks he murdered Katie and tells Dave that he will let him live if he confesses; if he does not he will kill him. Dave repeatedly tells Jimmy that he did kill someone but it was not Katie: he beat a child molester to death after finding him having sex with a child prostitute in a car. Jimmy does not believe Dave's claim and threatens him with a knife. When Dave finally admits to killing Katie thinking he can escape with his life, Jimmy kills him and disposes of his body in the adjacent Mystic River.
While Dave is being killed, Brendan（having found out about his father's gun during questioning）confronts his younger brother Ray Jr. and his brother's friend John about Katie's murder He beats the two boys and threatens to kill them if they do not admit their guilt, but he is almost shot by John. Sean and Powers arrive just in time to stop it.
The next morning, Sean tells Jimmy that the police have Katie's murderers - who have confessed. She was killed by Brendan's brother and his friend John O'Shea in a violent prank gone wrong: The kids got hold of Just Ray's gun and saw a car coming which happened to be Katie. John aimed the gun just to scare her but the gun went off by accident. The car veered onto the curb and Katie got out and ran into the park. Silent Ray and John pursued her so she wouldn't tell anyone. The beating Katie received was from Silent Ray who had a hockey stick. Once she was beaten, John shot her again, killing her. Sean asks Jimmy if he has seen Dave, because he is wanted for questioning in another case, the murder of a known child molester. A distraught Jimmy thanks Sean for finding his daughter's killers, but says “if only you had been a little faster” Sean asks Jimmy if he's going to “send Celeste Boyle $500 a month t00”. Sean reunites with his wife and his daughter Nora, after apologizing for “driving her away” Jimmy goes to his wife, Annabeth（Linney）and confesses. She comforts him and tells him that he is a king and that kings always make the right decision. At a town parade, Sean sees Jimmy, and mimics shooting him, to let Jimmy know he is watching.
1975年，三个男孩儿，吉米·马库、西恩·迪瓦恩、大卫·博伊尔，在波士顿街头玩曲棍球。发现水泥是湿的，于是他们开始在水泥上写自己的名字，这时一辆车载来了两个人，他们假装成警察。其中一个男子下车阻止了男孩们的行为，并让大卫上了车。这两个男人都是恋童癖，他们按住了大卫，并强奸了他四天，直到他逃脱。
二十五年后，男孩们如今已长大，虽然他们还住在波士顿，但已经疏远。吉米（西恩·潘饰）有前科，在附近开了一家商店，大卫（蒂姆·罗宾斯饰）是一名蓝领工人，一直受当年被绑架的事所困扰。他俩一直是邻居，而且还结了亲。吉米的19岁女儿卡蒂（罗瑟姆饰）偷偷和吉米鄙视的男孩布伦丹·哈里斯约会。她和布伦丹打算私奔去拉斯维加斯。
一天，卡蒂和她的女友们晚上出门，在当地的一家酒吧大卫看见了她们。就在那天晚上，卡蒂被人谋杀，而大卫拖着受伤的手回家，他的衣服上有血，他的妻子塞莱斯特（哈登饰）帮他清理。大卫说他打败了歹徒，并把他的头向水泥猛撞，可能杀死了他。西恩（贝肯饰）现在是马萨诸塞州警局的一名警官，在调查卡蒂的谋杀案。还有，西恩怀孕的妻子劳伦已经离开了他。
在这部电影的进行过程中，西恩和他的搭档，警长怀特·帕沃斯（菲什伯思饰）一起追查线索，吉米利用邻居的关系单独进行调查。西恩发现，用来杀死卡蒂的那把枪，也是卡蒂男友的父亲，杰斯特·瑞恩·哈利斯20世纪80年代在抢劫一家酒吧时使用的。哈利斯自1989年以来一直失踪，但布伦丹说，一直以来他每月会给自己的家人寄500美元。布伦丹还佯装不知道他父亲的枪，但西恩认为，枪仍然藏在家里。警长帕沃斯怀疑大卫是凶手，因为他是最后看到卡蒂活着的人之一。而且他的手还受了伤，他还告诉他的妻子，他遭到了抢劫，他给警方讲述了一个不同的故事，很快吉米也开始怀疑大卫。大卫的行为很奇怪，这让他的妻子很烦乱，她怕他会伤害她。在吉米和他的伙伴进行询问的时候，大卫的妻子终于说出了大卫的行为、血衣和她的怀疑。 吉米和他的朋友在当地酒吧把大卫灌醉。当大卫离开酒吧时，他们跟了出去。吉米告诉大卫，在同样的地方，因为出卖了他，他向哈利斯开了枪，送他坐牢。吉米告诉大卫，他的妻子认为他谋杀了卡蒂，如果他承认，他会让他活着，如果他不承认他会杀了他。大卫一再告诉吉米，虽然他杀了人，但杀的不是卡蒂。当他看到一个恋童癖和一个雏妓在车里做爱后，他把那个恋童癖打死了。吉米不相信大卫的表白，拿刀威胁他。当大卫为了逃生，终于承认杀了卡蒂时，吉米杀了他，并把他的尸体沉入了附近的神秘河。

大卫被杀时，布伦丹（已经发现了他父亲审问期间的枪）与他的弟弟小瑞恩和他弟弟的朋友约翰就卡蒂的谋杀案进行对证。他打了两个小男孩，并威胁道如果他们不承认自己有罪，就杀了他们，但他差点儿被约翰开枪击中。西恩和帕沃斯及时赶到阻止了它的发生。
第二天早上，西恩告诉吉米，警方已经找到了承认杀害卡蒂的凶手。她是被布伦丹的弟弟和他的朋友约翰·欧希亚打死的，是暴力恶作剧惹的祸。孩子们拿着杰斯特·瑞恩的枪，碰巧看到卡蒂的车来了。约翰的目的只是为了拿枪吓唬她，但枪走火了。汽车歪向路边，卡蒂下车，跑进了公园。瑞恩和约翰追了过去，他们不能让她告诉任何人。卡蒂被瑞恩的曲棍球棒击中。她一被击中，约翰就再次向她开了枪，杀死了她。西恩问吉米，他是否看到过大卫。因为他有另一个案件要问他，一个知名的恋童癖谋杀案的凶手。吉米心烦意乱，他感谢西恩找到了杀他女儿的凶手，但他说，“你们要是再快一点就好了。”西恩问吉米，是否他要继续每月寄500美元给塞莱特斯·博伊尔。为赶走妻子表示道歉后，西恩和他的妻子以及女儿诺拉团聚了。吉米去向他的妻子安娜柏斯（琳妮饰）忏悔。她安慰他，并告诉他，他是国王，国王总是做出正确的决定。在镇上游行时，西恩看到了吉米，于是模拟向他射击，让吉米知道他在看他。

commence［kə'mens］vt. 开始；着手
berate［bi'reit］vt. 严责；申斥
abduction［æb'dʌkʃən］n. 诱拐，绑架；诱导
despise［di'spaiz］vt. 轻视，鄙视
mugger［mʌgə］n. 行凶抢劫者，偷袭抢劫者
liquor［'likə］n. 酒，含酒精饮料；溶液；液体；烈酒
adjacent［ə'ʤeisənt］adj. 邻近的，毗连的
veer［viə］vi. 转向；改变观点；［气］风向顺时针转
parade［pə'reid］n. 游行；阅兵；炫耀；行进；阅兵场
重点掌握
■ which his wife Celeste（Harden）helps him clean up.
我们都知道，在英语中clean有“打扫，清扫”的意思，所以文中clean up是“把……收拾干净；梳洗干净；清理干净”的意思，比如：It's your turn to clean the classroom up. 该轮到你们打扫教室了。
另外，clean up还有“整顿；改进”、“完成；结束”的意思，比如：He promised the manager he would clean up this job before he left on his vacation. 他向经理保证，他去度假之前会将这件工作完成。［它用于俚语中，可以表达“赚钱；发财；大捞一笔”的意思，比如：He cleaned up in Shanghai last year. 他去年在上海发了财。］

Kevin Bacon Interviewed by Rebecca Murray
The novelist said he felt the character of Sean was ‘boring’. How do you make a character like this interesting?
That's funny, I can't believe he thought the character was boring. The thing about that character is that he's not a guy that talks about his feelings too much. What you have to try to do is have the feeling be there underneath and between the words. Really, most of the talking that I do in the film is about the case. Laurence Fishbume and I are kind of like the guides for the audience in terms of what's going on, who's the suspect, and what's happening. But at the same time, I think he's got a tremendous amount of sadness and his life is falling apart He's living alone, he's kind of living on an island.
Had you read the novel?
No. I specifically did not read it because I was afraid I would get too emotionally attached to it It's a gig I'd been wanting for so many years that I was kind of like protecting myself, so I read the novel after I read the screenplay. Of course, it proved to be a great research tool.
When you say it was a gig you always wanted, do you mean working with Clint Eastwood?
Yes. I'd been wanting to work with him for years. I'd told him that when Space Cowboys came out. He went on to do Blood Work after Space Cowboys came out, so it was at least three years before Mystic River came together. 小说家说，他觉得西恩的性格很无聊。你是怎样塑造了一个如此有趣的人物的呢？
真有趣，我都不敢相信他会觉得这个角色很无聊。这个角色是一个感情不外露的人物。你不得不在台词上下工夫。的确，我在这部电影里更多地是在谈论案子。我和劳伦斯·菲什伯恩像是观众的向导，引导他们去思考怎么了？谁是嫌疑犯？发生了什么？但同时，我认为他忍受着巨大的悲伤，他的生活支离破碎。他独自生活，他像是生活在一座孤岛上。
你读过这本小说吗？
没有。我是特意不读的，因为我也很害怕我会对它产生太多感情。这是一个我向往多年的角色，我是那种看似有点自我保护的人。所以我读了剧本后，才读的小说。当然，这已被证明是一种非常好的研究工具。
你说这是你一直向往的角色，你指的是和克林特·伊斯特伍德一起合作吗？
是的。多年来我一直想和他一起合作。当《太空牛仔》面世时，我就告诉了他。在《太空牛仔》完成后，他接着拍了《血腥拼图》，所以到一起拍《神秘河》之前，这种想法至少已有三年了。

为了演好他的角色，凯文·贝肯曾经到马萨诸塞州警察局的办公室工作过。
小说《神秘之河》的作者是丹尼斯·雷哈尼，可以在游行段落中的一辆敞篷汽车后面，看见他正在挥手。
电影拍摄时间为39天。
在电影结束的时候，乐队演奏的音乐是约翰·菲利普·索沙的“Semper Fidelis”，歌名在拉丁文中的意思是“永远真诚”。