7. Mystic River (2003)
Now things really get going. The first movie on this list to be directed by Clint Eastwood; and one of just two movies on this list that Clint doesn't star in. The movie stars Sean Penn as the father of a murdered teenager, Kevin Bacon as the Detective investigating the case and Tim Robbins as a major suspect. What makes things more interesting is that the three characters are childhood friends, and the tragic event that transformed one character's life happened right in front of the other two. The acting in Mystic River is just phenomenal, as reflected by Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins (no movie had won both awards since 1959). It also received nominations for Best supporting Actress, Best Picture and Best Director. There are some great scenes in Mystic River; including (but by no means limited to) the opening scene featuring the protagonists as children, the scene that shows Penn's character's reaction to his daughter's death (part of which is pictured above) and one of the most tense and ultimately tragic scenes that I have ever witnessed which concluded the climax. This movie could and should be much higher in this list - but there were an unfortunate few minutes in the movie that spoiled everything. The worst scenes all arrived at the end, too - just about the worst possible time.