"SHUTTER ISLAND" MOVIE REVIEW

http://www.mannythemovieguy.com

I worship at the altar of Martin Scorsese. Hes one of the few filmmakers whose rich body of work expounds on the evils of power. In Shutter Island, the greatest living American director investigates a different kind of power the human mind.

Based on Dennis Lehanes best-selling novel, Shutter Island is a psychological suspense thriller where the narrative unfolds on an island housing Ashecliffe Hospital, a sanatorium for the criminally insane.

Set in 1954 during the height of the Cold War, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) have come to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of a patient, multiple murderess Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) who vanishes despite being kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance.

But when Daniels discovers a note written by Solando asking Who is 67?, the investigation takes a darker, sinister route. Daniels suspects conspiracies within the hospital that include disreputable medical experiments, secret wards, and questionable patient care practices. To make matters worse, theres a hurricane bearing down on the island.

Adapted for the screen by Laeta Kalogridis (Alexander, Pathfinder), the film weaves in and out of flashbacks, hallucinations, and fantasies, and plays with time and our very notion of reality.

Grounding the film in realism is DiCaprios intense portrait of a World War II hero whos also battling personal demons of his own. His dead wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) appears in his dreams to warn him of impending disasters. DiCaprio shines as his characters psyche unravels.

Ben Kingsley also offers a memorable performance as the brilliant Dr. Cawley who hides one of the islands biggest secrets. The cat-and-mouse mind games he plays with Daniels and Aule reveals a man of science with an extraordinary level of dedication.

The rest of the cast also provided great support. Theres the legendary Max Von Sydow who stars as Dr. Naehring, one of the hospitals physicians. The always brilliant Patricia Clarkson also makes an appearance but my favorite among the supporting cast is Jackie Earle Haley as the mysterious George Noyce.

With Shutter Island, author Lehane moved away from the gritty, blue-collar Boston settings used in his previous novels Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone and traveled into the foreboding atmosphere of Boston Harbor Islands.

Scorsese radically shifted gears as he tried his hand at directing a psychological-thriller. Yet, Shutter Island examines the same theme the director used in Taxi Driver. What happens when paranoia overtakes the mind?

Its a pleasure to see the director having fun with the thriller genre. Scorsese is a master at setting the mood of the film. According to the movies production notes, the director inspired his cast and crew with a series of nighttime screenings of films that touched upon the themes and styles woven through Shutter Island.

But the films biggest downfall is its very own plot mechanisms. What could have been a great character study becomes bogged down by its own narrative device. The movies promising narrative layers wavered in pursuit of thrills and chills. Yet, Scorsese still managed to create a riveting and involving pulp thriller.

If you havent read the book, please dont pick it up until youve seen the film. The pleasure of watching Shutter Island is not knowing the movies twists and turns. Im recommending the film for its acting, gripping tone, and Scorseses assured direction.

RATING:

Shutter Island gets 3 insane asylum kisses

Category:

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[TWeisbergPhoto2]

I started out liking you reviews Manny, but this is too much. First of all, how could you forget Vincent Price on your Horror movie countdown, and then use his laugh at the end. That's wrong on quite a few levels. Second of all, this movie was

HORRIBLE. Had it been told in a slightly faster paced way, I would have enjoyed it more. I worship Scorsese too, but this was shit. I'm sorry Manny, but I have lost faith in your reviews. Please try and make them better. Sorry if I insulted you.

[mdelar]

@TWeisbergPhoto2 Hello there,no problem, I love reading your feedback :) You are absolutely right about Vincent Price and Hammer Films, and if I had made a Top 20, I would have put some Hammer Films movies there (On a side note, I enjoyed that Hammer Films is being revived by the film Let Me In)...As for Shutter Island? I enjoyed the movie, but not as much, if you noticed, I only gave the film 3 kisses, not 4, and FYI, having a story told in a faster way does not make a good movie. Thx again!

[sonicfan74]

hey manny just saw the movie i thought it was fantastic. and i was wondering is that rating of 3/4 on a typical movie level or on the Scorsese level?

[mdelar]

it's a typical movie level....like any film buff, I worship at the altar of Scorsese, so my expectations were a bit higher....but another icon of cinema, Roman Polanski (I know, I know -- all his personal dramas notwithstanding) also created a film out of his genre, it's called Ghost Writer, and my expectations were met...check that film out...

[sonicfan74]

ive heard of that film it looks amazing. but it isnt in any theater near me =(

[mdelar]

it's in limited release right now, give it about 2 weeks...I'm interviewing the cast next week...I'll let you know :)

[turbosteve1995]

SPOILER ALERT:

why does he go back to being crazy at the end and why did it have a little shot of the light house at the end??

[LC1Banana]

this movie was awful.So predictable and the music came in at the most awkward times. 1/4 for me bud, bad for that director...

[wishboneCYCLE]

he looks weird



[rotesfunkeln]

@jozrok it makes sense.. didn't you listen what they said in the movie?! the want to heal him without those strong tablettes- so they let him play the whole story so he gets to know the truth and realizes that he's wrong. That's the reason why he wears different clothes and so on ... and it's the characteristic of the movie that you believe "leonardo" is right and that the other ones are "evil". .. you get to know the sight of the "crazy one"

[jozrok]

@3400sfi this movie was intellegent but what doesn't make sense is if he's a prisoner how come he isn't in chains like every other prisoner?and if the people know what's going on why don't they just tell him at the start?and why is he wearing different clothes from every other person? and if he was there for 2 years what's up with the scene at the beginning when he's coming there on the boat?

[3400sfi]

this was an incredibly great film, one of the few i watched twice in a row, i also was confused as to whether or not he truly was insane or not which had me promptly rerunning the film looking for something i might have missed.

coming from someone who once grew ill over the thought of leo dicaprio i must say this guy was born to be an actor, totally totally made that movie.

[Xdev1lG00D]

@hybridwolf9

he was insane-