bryant

It looks like Mystic River is getting made into a movie. (If I were on the ball I'd hit the extras casting session tomorrow, but time prevents.) The book is excellent and highly recommended; Dennis Lehane has a knack for writing the dark side of Boston while still caring about the city deeply. And I adore his characters.

Mystic River departs from his earlier series work, probably (from his interviews) because he didn't want to get typecast. I think it was a good choice. Kenzie and Genarro are compelling characters, but at some point they'll get overused. Their relationship is core to the series; how many changes can he ring before it grows stale?

Clint Eastwood is directing the movie, and the cast includes Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, and Marcia Gay Harden. Brian Helgeland wrote the script. Apparently Sean Penn is playing Jimmy Marcus, and Kevin Bacon will be Sean Devine. That'd mean Tim Robbins plays Dave Boyle. Interesting choice, there, but it works for me.

Oddly, and completely parenthetically, the Amazon listing for the book mentions that 7 people recommended In His Image if you liked Mystic River. In His Image appears to be a cheap knockoff of the Left Behind series. I sense an enthusiastic marketing campaign, and I must encourage you all to recommend Mystic River if you liked In His Image. You'll need the ASIN if you follow the above link; it's 0380731851.