Clint Eastwood does not hesitate to admit that actors who have also turned to direction make his day. "If possible," he said on the eve of the release of Mystic River, which many reviewers consider his best film, better than the Oscar-winning Unforgiven, "I would like to work with many of them. They are always on time. They understand what a director goes through."

Early reviews for Mystic River have been lavish about the performances, saying the actors have given of their very best.

This psychological crime drama stars three actor-directors -- Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon -- playing childhood friends traumatised by their younger years and each a damaged person today. When the daughter of one of them (Penn) is murdered, the other two are drawn into the investigation.

Eastwood, who has acted in most of the two dozen films he has directed, decided this time that he had no suitable part.

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Mystic River is based on Dennis Lehane's critically acclaimed book. Lehane, worried about the integrity of his novel, had refused to part with its movie rights, but relented when Eastwood approached him. And when he heard that Sean Penn would play the anguished father bent on avenging his daughter's death, he enthusiastically embraced the project.

The film, which inaugurated the 41st New York Film Festival, is being shown in New York and Los Angeles from Wednesday, with other cities joining in the next few days.

When word that Penn was aboard spread, Eastwood said at a press conference, he (Eastwood) started getting calls from some of America's finest character actors asking if they could be in the film. They knew Mystic River was no ordinary mystery book and Eastwood was driven by the project. The three main actors would later say that one of the great pleasures of working with Eastwood was that he never shouted "action" and "cut", but gently asked the camera to roll, and with the same gentleness, okayed a shot.

Eastwood, who has directed some very talented artistes, including Gene Hackman and Penn, explained that he does not want to upset his actors. "They are very aware of what it takes to make a film," he said. "It is left to them as to how they want to attack the scene."

He also said that, many years ago, while acting in a Western, he had witnessed a scene in which four horses were featured. When the assistant director yelled 'action' into the megaphone, the horses got scared and ran away in different directions.

Eastwood prefers to say "Shall we start?" as quietly as possible. When a scene is over, he says something like, "It is enough for now." More often than not, he simply says "Okay."

The actors, who are used to a lot of yelling by other directors, just shake their head in disbelief... and relief, said Marcia Gay Harden, who plays yet another strong character in the film.

Eastwood said that every actor in the film is key to its success, for Mystic River is no ordinary mystery story. "Murder mysteries are usually only about solving the crime," Eastwood noted, "but in this case the story shows how, beyond the murder, all of the participants' lives have been altered by the crime."

He added, "One gets to see the impact a violent act has had, many years later. It is a tragic circle -- all three of these men have unresolved issues in their lives. They have all been traumatised by the past."

The women in the film, too, are terrific. Oscar winner Harden plays the anguished wife of one of the men (Robbins) who is hiding a terrible secret. Laura Linney plays the wife of the cocky guy (Penn), whose daughter is murdered. Laurence Fishburne plays the police officer who is quick to come to conclusions.

The cast had no doubt they were in seasoned hands. "Right from the beginning we knew who was in charge," Penn said, responding to a question from a journalist who wanted to know what it felt like for an actor-director to work for someone else.

"The key ingredient in this film is Clint Eastwood," Penn, Oscar nominee for best actor in I Am Sam and Dead Man Walking, said elsewhere. "Despite his years of being at the top of his game and the legendary movies he has made, he always made us feel comfortable and valued on the set."

Eastwood, who has acted in 55 films -- including Unforgiven and Dirty Harry -- and produced 19, treated his actors "as collaborators and equals", Penn continued. "We never got the feeling that he believed in his legend or asked us to honour it, although we did."

What was particularly invigorating about working for Eastwood, he continued, was that "there was nothing condescending about the man or his crew".

Robbins, who plays the deeply troubled Dave, said it "was not particularly fun, going to that dark place for long periods of time while you are working. But, fortunately, Clint provided such a professional and efficient environment to work in that it was a pleasure to be able to bring the character to life."

Bacon said that what made him feel wonderful about Mystic River was not only that Eastwood was directing it; it was also the fact that each of the three central characters was superbly written. As a homicide detective whose personal life is in serious trouble, Bacon's character is at once riveting.

The movie has so many layers, the actors said, that it is not easy to classify it as a murder mystery. Eastwood agreed, saying he expects the film to be an entertaining, intriguing, "and ultimately thought-provoking experience".

"The story can satisfy the audience on several levels," he said. "The whodunit fans may be happy with just the mystery and absorb the other content in the periphery. Others will get into the background of the characters and the detective story will be meaningful only in relation to the overall tragedy. The story is layered and as each layer gets peeled off, more is revealed."