Monster 

Cold Mountain 

Les Triplettes de Belleville 

Mystic River

Mystic River 

A great movie featuring a host of stars including Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, and Lawrence Fishburn.  The story is of three childhood friends who grow up in the Boston neighborhood together.  One of the kids, Dave Boyle (later played by Tim Robbins), is kidnapped and abused.  The three kids grow up to live their own separate lives, but are brought back together when Jimmy Markum's (played by Penn) daughter is murdered and is last seen at a bar by Boyle.  Detectives Sean Devine (Bacon) and Sargeant Whitey Powers (Fishburn) are brought in to investigate the case.

The story begins as a traditional murder mystery case but the relationship of the three childhood friends come into focus.  They have a childhood bond that brings an unspoken understanding among them but are also still haunted by the memories of the kidnapping of Boyle.  They have always felt responsible for not helping Boyle when he was being kidnapped.  When Jimmey's daughter is murdered, Jimmey struggles with his roles as the concerned loving parent,  the disturbing memory of Boyle's kidnapping as his childhood friend, and the neighborhood thug.  As the facts unfold about the murder, Boyle becomes the main suspect due to his inolvement in another murder that same night, his mental instability from his childhood experiences, and having been the last person to have seen the murder victim.  The director, Clint Eastwood, has done a great job of getting the audience to identify with Jimmy and Boyle and thier particular motives and roles regarding the murder.  My favorite scene has to be when Boyle is being grilled in the interrogation room by Devine and Powers and outsmarts them about the legality of finding blood while searching his car outside of his house (Boyle reported the car stolen).  A fantastic must see movie.