photo courtesy of warner bros Tim Robbins (left) is taking time off from being on conservative commentators' hit lists to display his considerable acting talents in "Mystic River."

I don't know about you, but when I hear the words "Clint Eastwood" and "new movie" in the same sentence I tend to stay away from the theatres.

"The Bridges of Madison County" and "Space Cowboys" are among his other directorial features, and they didn't do it for me.

But after seeing "Mystic River," his new crime thriller/mystery about three childhood friends and their connection with a murder 30 years later, I ... will still try to stay away from Eastwood's work.

"Mystic River" is a thoroughly engrossing drama, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, which features three complex characters and their connections to each other. It's almost like a male version of "The Hours."

Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins) and Sean Divine (Kevin Bacon) lived in the same Boston area as kids. When they were caught writing their names in cement by what they thought was a policeman, Dave was taken away. It turns out the policemen weren't officers, but pedophiles. And Dave was locked up in the middle of a forest for four days before escaping.

When he came back to the neighborhood, nothing was the same for any of them. Flash forward 30-some years, and Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter Katie is murdered after a night of bar-hopping.

Dave, who still lives in the neighborhood along with his wife (Marcia Gay Harden) and son, had seen her at a bar the night of the murder. He also came home that night covered in blood, ranting about a mugger who he might have killed.

Sean, a homicide detective, is the only one who has left the neighborhood and is assigned to the case with his partner Whitey (Laurence Fishborne).

Jimmy owns a local convenience store, has spent time in prison and still seems a bit shady.

The old friends are reunited, but in odd situations. We find out that Katie was planning on eloping the day after the murder with her boyfriend (Tom Guiry, star of "Sandlot"). But even Dave's wife believes he committed the murder as he starts to act strange and distant.

"Mystic River" is "a bit" movie. It goes on a bit too long, Boston accents are a bit overdone,

inconsistencies are a bit too overwhelming and the meaning of the film is not a bit subtle.

However, a great plot and great acting can save movies like this. And Penn and Robbins certainly give inspired performances, while Bacon makes me forget his recent bombs.

But like I said, it's got some problems. So don't feel bad if you want to save a bit of money and wait for the DVD.