Bad:  I appreciate and enjoy a well-done murder mystery and the drama that surrounds it. But there has to be a redemptive ending or one that ties the loose ends together to feel that the story has been told well or done what is was supposed to do. I realize that life isn’t always tied up neatly and many times the repercussions from sin leave so many shattered pieces that it’s impossible to wrap it up in a package. But I still feel it's important to set a moral tone with justice serving the injustice, and in a way that isn’t done here. I won’t go into detail because I would be giving away a couple of major plot points, but I wish I could discuss it because the moral fiber of this story sets the tone for the movie. This is a dark and depressing story that left me feeling that way long after I walked out of the theater. When the dramatic abusive situation happens to Dave in the three boys' early lives, it sets into motion an unresolved chain of events that culminates and plays out in their adult behaviors. The guilt, grief and innocence lost affects each one of them, and the need for revenge ends up destroying lives. This is a story that plays on the emotions that revenge is justified and even allowed to be the justice. In this case, the injustice serves the character's revenge and not the story. I felt it was hard to relate with these characters because they live in such a different world. Although the audience will have sympathy for Penn’s character, he’s not a likable person and likewise I didn’t connect with any of the female characters. This is a movie filled with adult themes about child abuse, murder, revenge, betrayal and taking the law into your own hands. The disturbing elements include: an abundance of profanity and religious profanity, a scene involving a dead girl's body (clothed but bloody), an execution-style murder and a teenager threatening an adult with a gun. 

Bottom Line:  This is definitely an adult murder mystery that is dark, depressing and probably not for everyone. While I appreciate a good murder mystery and enjoy Eastwood’s directing style, this isn’t as “great” a movie as the press are hyping it up to be. While the ending is understandable, I found it to be depressing and disturbing, leaving me with mixed emotions at how justice was served.