Stephen King Picks Eastwood Over Tarantino, Praising 20-Year Old Drama: ‘Best Movie in Last 30 Years’

If someone asked you who is the better director, Clint Eastwood or Quentin Tarantino, what would you say? On the one hand, Eastwood is the only one of his kind, the hero and anti-hero of many cult films, and just one of the best directors in Hollywood.

On the other hand, Tarantino is a self-taught genius, the biggest cinema fan of our time, whose debut film captivated millions of viewers and whose subsequent projects recruited more and more new members to his army of fans. The choice is difficult, if not impossible, right? Not for Stephen King.

In his article for Entertainment Weekly, the writer talked about movies that matter and those that don't, and one of Tarantino's cult films, Kill Bill, received a less than flattering review. King called it a ‘blah movie’ that audiences will forget soon after seeing it.

Stephen King Gave Mystic River a Rave Review

As an example of a movie that mattered, King cited Clint Eastwood's thriller Mystic River, released in 2003, which the writer called ‘the best movie I've seen in the last 30 years’:

“In Mystic River there are three murders instead of hundreds, and Eastwood shoots the one we see so it’s mostly in shadows. There are no kung-fu death dances; the violence is ugly rather than beautiful and romantic.”

Mystic River is One of Clint Eastwood’s Most Overlooked Movies

Mystic River often gets lost among Clint Eastwood's later and more famous films. It undoubtedly received much less attention than Changeling, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and Gran Torino.

But this is an exemplary psychological thriller that has it all: secrets of the past, an intriguing plot, excellent acting (both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins won an Oscar for Mystic River) and a twist in the finale that cannot be predicted in advance.

What is Mystic River About?

The plot revolves around the relationship of three childhood friends – the daughter of one of them is killed. The man is waiting for the results of the police's search for the killer, but he starts his own investigation – he suspects one of his former friends, who matches the psychological portrait of the killer.

Clint Eastwood masterfully alternates gripping investigative sequences with the personal drama of the characters. The viewer can’t help but to empathize with both sides of the conflict: the vengeful grieving father and the defenseless suspect. Therefore, you will wait for the finale, not because of the unexpected ending, but out of concern for the fate of the main characters.

The director spares us the most terrible moments of the story. He does not speculate on emotions, but explores in detail and carefully, in the slow rhythm that has become his trademark, an intricate tangle of relationships and psychological motives, accompanied by his own dark, grim music.

Where to Stream Mystic River?

Mystic River is available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Source: Entertainment Weekly