Barrett’s Review: Shutter Island Is A Haunting Psychological Thriller

Shutter Island (A)

Where, oh where to begin? This review of Shutter Island is going to be broken down into two parts. The first part contains a spoiler-free discussion of the the acting and direction of the film. The second part is going to have a SPOILER WARNING, where I discuss the plot. This film depends on discretion as it is a psychological thriller containing many twists and turns. So if you haven’t seen the film yet, the first part should give you enough information on why you should see it, then after you see it, come on back and read my reaction to the story.

Shutter Island is of course the big-screen adaption of the book written by Dennis Lehane in 2003 of the same title. It reunites Martin Scorsese and his long-time cinematic muse Leonardo DiCaprio in their fourth film working together (Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed previously). The film is a gripping and haunting psychological thriller that will pin you to your seat, and should keep you guessing to the very end.

This film hinges on the brilliant performance by Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo brings his A-game in Shutter Island, showing why he is considered by many (including myself) to be THE BEST actor of his generation. Leo’s portrayal of U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels’ manic quest to uncover the truth and avenge his haunted past is inspired and something that any aspiring actor should study intensely. It’s a true travesty that this film was pushed back to February, instead of being released this past October, because he would undoubtedly be the front-runner in the upcoming Best Actor Oscar race. Mark Ruffalo plays Daniels’ partner Chuck, providing a fantastic balance and calming presence to DiCaprio’s paranoid and neurotic sensibility. The other performance that makes this film a home-run on the acting front is via Sir Ben Kingsley. Kingsley plays Dr. Crawley, the mysterious manager of the insane asylum on Shutter Island. As Teddy and Chuck arrive to investigate the disappearance of an inmate, excuse me patient, Dr. Crawely provides the Marshalls with a suspect level of cooperation, leading the viewer to believe that he is definitely hiding something. Kingsley’s precise, enigmatic and controlling performance just adds to the twists, turns, uneasiness and chaos of Shutter Island.

The myth, the man, the legend that is Martin Scorsese, is in top form in his latest picture. The director is in complete control of his actors, as well as the destructive and disturbing terrain of Shutter Island and it’s creepy insane asylum facilities. The cinematography illuminates the dark, desolate and dreary atmosphere of the island’s secrets and dangerous nature (namely a brutal hurricane smashing the island throughout). Scorsese’s imagery deception of the events from the book are simultaneously gorgeous and disturbing. This is some serious subject matter people, and Scorsese is one of the few directors who can make can make your jaw drop in awe of his beautiful interpretation of death and madness. At this point, I’m going to go ahead recommend that you see Shutter Island.

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

Is that a good enough warning for you? If you’re still reading this and you haven’t seen Shutter Island, then you’re an idiot. Okay, back to the review. It’s hard for me to discuss my reaction to the plot, because when the trailer for this film was put online like six months ago, I wanted to see what people’s reaction to the trailer were, so I read a few comments on various websites to gauge the response. Pretty understandable, right? Unfortunately, I ACCIDENTALLY read a comment on a website, that will remain nameless, where some fucking asshole who had already read the book, wrote “it’s all in his head.” So I was expecting the outcome of Daniels actually being a Shutter Island inmate, excuse me patient, (Andrew Laeddis) and not an active U.S. Marshall trying to “blow the lid off” the conspiracy of scientists creating “ghost” soldiers for the U.S. Army. That was disappointing and is a personal reason why this film didn’t get an A+ review grade. Another reason is that the story kind of drags and gets stuck in the mud for a little bit during the latter part of the second act.

Because this movie is filled with so many hallucinations that distort the viewer’s sense of what’s real and what’s not, even before Daniels (I mean Laeddis) blows up Dr. Crawely’s car before heading to the lighthouse, I thought to myself, “maybe it’s not in his head.” Then of course Dainels’ (I mean Laeddis’) existence comes crashing down when his reality is revealed to him; which made me let out a big disappointed sigh. I thought the most powerful and haunting moment in the film was when Laeddis (got it) flashes back to the moment when his wife (played by Michelle Williams, who was good but forgettable) brutally drowns their three children. DiCaprio’s intense display of loss and utter despair was mesmerizing to watch and almost made me shed a tear. The moment when he falls to his knees, clutching his murdered daughter’s lifeless body, sobbing exhaustively, would have been the clip used at the Oscars for the Best Actor category. Another disappointed sigh. One thing that I didn’t know about the ending, which was especially eery, was when Laeddis seemed to know who he was and was “back to life…back to reality,” then leans over to Chuck (who was really his psychologist the whole time) and whispered how he knew “something fishy was going on at Shutter Island,” falling back into his Teddy Daniels alter-reality. Chuck then looks at Dr. Crawley, shakes his head and they escort Laeddis away, seemingly to give him a labotamy as this was the last straw in trying to help him. Very creepy ending.

Overall this is a superb film. I got a split-reaction from people who deciphered the clues throughout the film and anticipated the climatic twists. Others were completely caught off guard, which, if that’s you, should make this viewing experience exponentially more powerful and mind-blowing; pun intended.

Now I’m wondering what your reactions are? Did you read the book or were you spoiled in some way before seeing the film? Did you have no prior knowledge, but put the pieces together? Or were you completely blown away?

What Do You Think? Discuss.