‘Shutter Island’ Review

Release Date – 2/19/2010

It’s the late 1950s, and United States Marshal Teddy Daniels arrives at a Boston mental institution called Shutter Island, where the patients are convicted of being criminally insane. A psychotic killer has escaped from her cell with no signs of how she could have done it. The facility’s psychiatrist is mysterious and not giving Daniels and his partner access to all areas of his island. So they take it upon themselves to break some rules and investigate as much as they can. Meanwhile, Daniels is having a hard time coping with the recent death of his wife and his time serving in the military during World War II. He has other motives for being on Shutter Island other than this recent disappearance. This movie was creepy as all hell and a great story to follow. There are twists and turns and it leaves you guessing what it’s all going to mean in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Leonardo DiCaprio is great as usual as Teddy Daniels. He once again solidifies himself as one of the greatest actors of this generation. You feel for this guy and pretty much live out his nightmares on screen. He constantly has visions of his dead wife and the things he saw during the war haunt those same nightmares. His dream sequences provide for the creepiest scenes in the movie and will have you on the edge of your seat peeking though your fingers in fear of something jumping out. Some of them run a little long and I felt like I just wanted to get back to the meat and potatoes of the real story but I realize it was all done for a reason. Mark Ruffalo plays his partner and while he didn’t have much to work with, after the end you’ll want to go back and study his character a little more. It may not seem like much, but I guarantee on second viewing you’ll be watching him closer than DiCaprio. Michelle Williams creeps up the screen as the dead wife. Seriously, she freaks you out. Ben Kingsley is the psychiatrist who you know is hiding something but can’t quite put your finger on it. And this is how the movie flows the whole time. Something mysterious is going on but you can’t quite nail it down. Even if you figure out the twist, there’s just so much more to it after its revealed.

Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors. Saying that isn’t really going out on a limb as he’s respected by critics and fans all over the world. But this is something unique for him. A thriller with horror elements isn’t exactly Marty’s forte. Give me a Goodfellas, Casino, or The Departed and its more up his alley. This was a refreshing change of pace and proof that he can work in any genre. And the music was terrific. The opening scenes with loud thumps foreshadow some nail biting thrills that are on the way. You can tell by the trailers that this movie is going to rely on a clutch ending. No matter how good the movie is, if the ending sucks then the rewatch factor goes down big time. And although all parties involved are great, it’s the ending that makes you want more from this film. I could see many people seeing this twice in theaters. Although I prefer the gangster scene that Scorsese has perfected, he really has done it all in that field and I see this new branch-out as another of his masterpieces.

IMDB – 8.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes – 67%
Movie Wiseguys – 8.5/10