Shutter Island (2009)

I tend to look for movies that draw me in and that provoke an emotional response. Martin Scorcese's "Shutter Island" did indeed draw me in, even though I found the film disturbing. Scorcese explores difficult questions of guilt, personal identity, and mind control.

The movie takes place in 1954 on a craggy, remote and forbidding island off the coast of Boston. (I have some familiarity with a United States possession called Navassa, an uninhabited, little-known island in the Carribean surrounded by steep, inaccessible cliffs and was reminded of Navassa by the movie.) Shutter Island serves as a hospital and prison for the criminally insane operated by the United States government. A United States Marshall, Teddy Daniels, and his ostensible partner, Chuck Aule, who calls Daniels "boss", are ferried to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a female inmate who has apparently escaped. The inmate is said to have drowned her three children before her incarceration. Daniels himself carries with him many emotional issues. He witnessed the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp and has had problems with alcohol. His wife died in a fire set by an arsonist. Daniels sought an assignment to Shutter Island because the arsonist and another individual from Daniels' past are incarcerated there, and Daniels wanted to see for himself what was going on.

At the hospital, Daniels meets the head psychiatrist, a bearded, crafty and intelligent individual named Cawley, and his sinister German assistant, Nehring. He meets with staff, with prisoners, both male and female, and with inmates of the "C" ward, used to house the most dangerous prisoners. As the movie progresses, Daniels suffers increasingly from tremors and from hallucinations, most of which are in the form of his dead wife warning him about the island. Daniels also receives warnings and augurs from the patients. He senses that something is not right about the investigation but cannot let it go.

The movie has the makings of a gothic horror film, but it gets beyond that genre by its seriousness and development. The movie builds slowly and inexorably to itconclusion and most parts of the story contribute to the effectiveness of the whole. The feeling of isolation and doom is inescapable, with a mental hospital on a remote island, a hurricane which cuts the Shutter Island off even further from the mainland, and the chilling, hidden natures of staff and inmates on the island.

The movie includes scenes of cliffs and danger on the island, pounding waves, wild rats, a mysterious lighthouse, and lost souls. A difficult and troubled individual, Daniels comes to challenge his understanding of himself in a radical way. I found the confusion in sense of selfhood, in circumstances of isolation and helplessness, chilling.

The movie is based upon a 2003 novel by Dennis Lahane called "Shutter Island" which I have not read. The acting is convincing throughout and the musical background is erie. The movie has received mixed reviews. Scorsese's movies such as "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull" and "Gangs of New York" with their portrayal of violence, illusion, and rawness have always fascinated me. "Shutter Island" did so as well. The movie has attained a large success at the box office, and perhaps can be viewed and responded to on many levels. I don't think it is for the faint at heart.

Robin Friedman

I think that some of the mixed things I'd heard about it come from the fact that some audiences were a) expecting something different and b) don't like to think. To be fair the studio mislead them by selling Shutter Island as a fun, edge of your seat, thrill ride. It's really a psychological drama disguised as a B grade horror movie. It indulges in all the gothic tropes: the isolated mental hospital, the hurricane that cuts everything off from civilization, hints of Nazi experiments, even the music plays into it. But really that's just the setting. If you take it as the whole thing, that's where you'll run into disappointment. It's more about what's happening in the mind of the main characterwhich is a puzzle in itselfthan the big twist ending. I think that The Sixth Sense and others of it's ilk did a disservice to audiences in a sense. People look for the "trick" in movies, studios advertise the "big twist ending". But this isn't a movie about a twist. Yes, there's a big reveal in the end, and the "what" of the reveal is fairly obvious. It's the "how" and the "why" that we should be thinking about. These are the answers to the psychological puzzle of the film. People get so into the "what" after being groomed on twist endings that they forget there is a "how" and a "why". When the big reveal comes it's more about the catharsis, the coming full circle, the emotional confrontation, than the twist itself.

Yes, it can be confusing not to know whether the main character is dreaming or hallucinating, or really seeing what is. But with patience that becomes clear and the beautifully photographed, eerily haunting dream sequences are worth watching without trying to "figure them out". Just enjoy the performances (impressive across the board), the score, the cinematography, and go where the film takes you. Some might call the ending a cop out. But really it leaves audiences with even more questions: are there some things that are so painful that we're better off (literally) cutting them out of our brains? Is a delusional mind a prison or an escape? Who is sane? Is sanity a choice? In my opinion answering these questions would be the cop out!

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It goes without saying that Martin Scorsese is an incredible filmmaker. He has added another classic to his resume with the mind-bending thriller, "Shutter Island". The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a federal marshal who is investigating the disappearance of a patient / prisoner from a mental institution for the criminally insane. DiCaprio shines in his part, perhaps brighter than he has in any other Scorsese film. He is accompanied by Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, Max von Sydow, Ted Levine and Jackie Earle Haley, amongst others. "Shutter Island" does a great job of playing mind games with the viewer. This film makes for a great DVD to own, because you can watch it as many times as you would like and you can discover new clues in the plot over and over again. Also, after viewing the film the first time, once you know the outcome of the plot, subsequent viewings are really terrifying if you put yourself in the main character's shoes, knowing the ending. That's what I do when I watch the film now, and I think it's genuinely scary because it is so competently written. Scorsese's direction is excellent, as are all the actors' performances in the film. The film is a dark noir styled trip down the rabbit hole that is frightful and tense throughout. Definitely a modern Scorsese classic here, folks. Well worth checking out, multiple times. Highly recommended! 4.5 stars.

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"Shutter Island" is a mystery with a twist, and I don't want to give it away. So, I won't go into a lot of detail about the plot. Leonardo DiCaprio and his partner travel to an institution for the criminally insane on an island, and nothing is as it seems.

As my wife put it, about 60 minutes in, you know it's going down one of a few paths, all of which are cliches. Sure enough, an hour and 15 minutes later, she was proved right. The problem with the twist ending in the 21st century is that we've all seen a ton of movies with twist endings, and it has become harder and harder to actually surprise the audience. Also as my wife put it, there's a good movie buried in here somewhere. The characters are interesting; the idea of a mental hospital at the dawn of modern psychiatry is interesting; and the location is fantastic. Strip away about 30 minutes from this languidly-paced film, do a few more drafts of the script, and this could be a winner. The way Hollywood works, the remake/reimagining in 2030 will win an Oscar.

On the plus side, DiCaprio turns in a tour de force performance, as usual. The guy is a fantastic actor, and this is an actor's film. If you like watching a great actor do amazing things with a character, you will enjoy this movie.

At best, "Shutter Island" is worth a rent.

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Shutter Island is a difficult film to review. The way the film unfolds is an interesting one, but is difficult to put into words without spoiling everything from the film. It strings you along so many different paths that guessing how the film ends is nearly impossible. While watching the film, however, nothing really made sense until the last twenty minutes or so. Between Teddy's hallucinations and what's transpiring on the island, it's almost exhausting trying to grasp what's actually happening in the film and what's occuring in Teddy's head. The finale to The Departed, another Martin Scorsese/ Leonardo DiCaprio pairing, was (and still is) one of the most talked about endings when it comes to recent films. Shutter Island doesn't necessarily top The Departed, but is along the same lines. Its ending gives new meaning to at least one repeat viewing of the film.

There's no denying that I've been a fan of Martin Scorsese's films for quite some time. Films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Cape Fear, Casino, and Gangs of New York are prime examples of some of the best films ever. I can't say the same about Leonardo DiCaprio. While I can't argue the fact that I enjoy quite a few films he's been in, he didn't really do anything for me as an actor. I didn't see this potential or charisma that everyone else seemed to. Until now. His work in Shutter Island puts his acting skills on display for the world to see. His devastation towards the end of the film is not only believable, but absorbing as well.

The cinematography is on a level you'd come to expect from a Scorsese picture. The way Ward C, the ward built during the Civil War that contains the island's most dangerous prisoners, is filmed in particular may be the high point as far as cinematography is concerned. The never-ending darkness makes you think something is going to jump out at you at any moment and its metal cage-like structure that constructs the walls feels claustrophobic; like you're a prisoner yourself. That "rat in a maze" line from the trailer really fits the film well. Everything in the lighthouse with the spiral staircase is pretty amazing, as well.

An interesting note about the film is that the soundtrack is used sparingly. I didn't notice one throughout the majority of the film. It seemed to only be used during dramatic moments. There's also a gunshot towards the end of the film that is going to make you jump because it's so damn loud. Seriously. It's insane. For an R-rated Scorsese film, it seemed pretty mild in the language department. The F-word is said 422 times in Casino, 296 times in Goodfellas, and 237 times in The Departed while it's only said a handful of times in this film. Just seemed a bit odd for a Scorsese picture.

Shutter Island is pretty confusing until the finale (basically from "Why are you all wet, baby?" to the end). It's pieced together slowly and is a combination of Teddy's memories, hallucinations, and what's actually occuring in reality. The way it unfolds is kind of like trying to solve a Rubix Cube. It takes time and a little bit of effort, but is well worth it in the end. Shutter Island is a film that makes you think. Remember that going in. Teddy has quite a few lines towards the end of the film that are going to stick with me for a very long time. It's a film that will only get better with repeat viewings. When it's all said and done, it was well worth waiting an extra four months for this film.

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