#66. Shutter Island - Review
Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 5:35PM 
Shutter Island film poster
Shutter Island will be in my top 10 of the year. I have watched it at least four or five times, and with every viewing I find another reason why Martin Scorsese is considered a master. He was one of the few rock-n-roll directors that survived the 80’s and he continues to prove himself with one fantastic film after another. Shutter Island is a film that is very similar to tone as the director’s 1991 remake Cape Fear, but you can definitely see a tighter, more focused feature with Shutter Island. His adaption of Dennis Lehane’s novel I feel only enhances the morbid dread that permeated the book, while enhancing the medical facility and its inhabitants with a life few filmmakers could.
Not a masterpiece, but I do think the film’s plot is as gracefully portrayed, as the source material would allow. I will not get into plot or spoilers, but I will say I was completely intrigued until the end, comfortable with the films respective twists and turns, and was never confused or felt something did not make sense. I would love to discuss certain aspects of the film that would contain spoilers (which is basically everything) so if anyone wants to, leave your opinions or questions in the comments section below.
Shutter Island film poster
I am surprised how completely divisive Leonardo DiCaprio seems to be for so many people. I rarely hear someone say they just like the actor, its either an extreme love or a deep seeded hatred for the star. I am not ashamed to admit that I am totally in love with the guy. Other than that damn accent in Blood Diamond (2006), there are very few movies with DiCaprio that I don’t absolutely love. I have enjoyed everything he has made with Scorsese, and I have no problem confessing he is one of my favorite-working actors. His Boston accent is not perfect in Shutter Island, but it has gotten a lot better since The Departed (2006). Very few performers can emote like DiCaprio can, and I can always feel the palpable ferociousness he brings to each film.
I know I have dodged the film, but I really don’t want to get into the plot. I hope anyone who hasn’t seen this film does seek it out, and I urge him or her to avoid watching the trailer. Just know that you will be taken for a ride like only the director of Taxi Driver (1972) and Bringing Out the Dead (1999) could, and it is obvious he is having a blast. The camera never stops moving. It sporadically scans the asylum like a nervous patient, unable to trust what is right in front of the lens. Scorsese takes cues from classic thrillers, specifically Hitchcock and his Vertigo (1958), and its with these traditional tricks and MacGuffins he is able to maintain both interest and enjoyment. This flick is everything it wants to be, a skittish B-movie with a plot as brittle and sensitive as a true schizophrenic. Let me know what you think of the flick.
Shutter Island film poster
Reader Comments (3)
Loved it! I didn't see the ending coming at all, and I rather enjoyed my roller coaster ride of emotions. I'm a big Leo fan as well, just watched The Man in the Iron Mask all the way through for the first time- great flick!
I never watched The Man in the Iron Mask... good enough to check out?
Oh yeah! Leo is young sporting a killer mullet, but there's a great story and a powerful cast.