Movie Review: Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese and Leo DiCaprio struck gold with The Departed, and teamed up for the big screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel Shutter Island. Considering the critical success of The Departed, many movie buffs were looking at Shutter Island with great anticipation. Shutter Island isn’t the typical story that Scorsese has handled, but many directors have had success in diverting from their standard work. As Shutter Island is more mystery and thriller than we normally see in Scorsese’s movies, the biggest question was whether it would live up to the high standard set by films like The Departed, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and Casino. Did he put forward his best work yet with Shutter Island?

No, and it isn’t even close. That’s not to say Shutter Island is a horrible movie. It’s got an interesting mystery, a strong and deep cast, and some wonderfully shot dream sequences. However, these strengths unfortunately also play into the movie’s weaknesses. Starting with the mystery, the trailer gives the audience a pretty straightforward look at the basic structure of the movie. Federal Marshall Teddy Daniels and Marshall Chuck Aule arrive at Shutter Island in search of a missing patient. The hospital houses some of the most dangerous and damaged patients, so finding Rachel safely is very important. However, everyone is being closed off on giving the Feds access to all they require for the investigation. Before long, they begin to think the doctors are purposefully keeping Teddy and Chuck in the dark.

I want to keep this review spoiler-free because most of the fun comes from guessing what’s going on, but generally anyone who has watched mystery thrillers, especially those made by the master of the genre himself Alfred Hitchcock, the audience will be two steps ahead of the story. Instead of guessing what a certain person is going to tell Teddy, they’re already thinking about what he’s going to do after, or can already tell what information will be revealed. That may not be a flaw, considering some will not think ahead and just watch the story unfold, but it’s worth mentioning. I found myself comparing it to Lost, where you know that nothing is what it seems.

The cast does the best job they can with the story, but it isn’t Oscar caliber. Leo carries most of the weight of the story, with his character getting a lot of flashbacks and dream sequences. He does a good job, but it didn’t feel like a stand-out performance. Mark Ruffalo does a good job tagging along on Teddy’s journey around the island, and brings a grounding to Teddy’s slipping sanity. Ben Kinglsey and Max von Sydow always play good villains in serious roles, and have a good menacing plot afoot.

Probably the most frustrating part of the film for me was the dream sequences that happen very often in the film. Sometimes showing flashbacks or straight visions from his psyche, they are relied on heavily to move the story along, but feel too drawn out and long. It was reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino, but Tarantino makes his long sequences (like the opening with Col. Landa in Inglorious Basterds) worthwhile and interesting. They are shot beautifully and bold, but we get so many of them before we understand their significance or value they seem too heavy on the story. A few of the sequences and visions could have been cut down a bit without hurting the understanding of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed most of Shutter Island but felt underwhelmed considering the team-up of Leo/Scorsese. The ending is something people will probably sit back in their seats and think about for a bit, but with all the jumbling with characters and names, it might require second viewing to get a full understanding of the film.

Fanboyz Grade: B-