Directed by:
Martin ScorseseScreenplay:
Laeta KalogridisCinematography:
Robert RichardsonCast:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine (more)Plots(1)
The year is 1954, at the height of the Cold War, when U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are summoned to Shutter Island to investigate the implausible disappearance of a brilliant multiple murderess from a locked room within the impenetrable Ashecliffe Hospital. Surrounded by probing psychiatrists and dangerously psychopathic patients on the remote, windswept isle, they arrive into an eerie, volatile atmosphere that suggests nothing is quite what it seems.
With a hurricane bearing down on them, the investigation moves rapidly. Yet, as the storm escalates, the suspicions and mysteries multiply each more thrilling and terrifying than the next. There are hints and rumors of dark conspiracies, sordid medical experiments, repressive mind control, secret wards, perhaps even a hint of the supernatural, but elusive proof. Moving in the shadows of a hospital haunted by the terrible deeds of its slippery inhabitants and the unknown agendas of its equally ingenious doctors, Teddy begins to sense that the deeper he pursues the investigation the more he will be forced to confront some of his most profound and devastating fears. And he realizes that he may never leave the island alive.
(Paramount Pictures)
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Reviews (17)
This is simply a movie for pleasure. Marty plays about with absolutely everything. He plays with the music, period stylization, the storytelling and the actors play along with him. The atmosphere is thick as fog in the opening scene. Drooling psychopaths winking out on every street corner, storms rage and the road to the main message (which you can probably guess) is a winding one and goes through an impressive range of exquisite twists, turnabouts and unexpected situations that keep your eyes glued to the screen. Add some dark dreamlike hallucinations and rather forgotten memories of the main protagonist during the second world war. DiCaprio acts as if his life depended on it, maybe this is one of his best performances of his career, but even so he can hardly compare with the old vets who finally landed a superb parts. Despite how you might expect the movie to evolve, the ending is crushing and the last sentence in Shutter Island is the icing on this beautifully served cake.
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The last time I felt this much enthusiasm from perfect filmmaking in a new film was with Inglorious Basterds. From the moment they arrive on the island, it was clear that this would be an exceptional film, tailor-made for me – sometimes you just know it from the very first scene. Scorsese builds the atmosphere masterfully (shots on details, striking music, visual tricks of various crap flying around), I couldn’t find a single weak spot; Shutter Island is 130 minutes of concentrated depression, mystery and madness. Regarding the complaints of certain viewers about the lack of originality, or rather, the predictable twist, it’s worth mentioning that what they believe is a twist, it’s not so, it’s just the resolution to a classic misleading plot (in that sense, the film can only have two outcomes, and you don’t have to be a genius to “figure out” the right one) that only serves to lay down the ground for the real twist, which is very inconspicuous, original, and clever. Putting all this together, Shutter Island is for me more interesting than all of Marty’s famous gangster films.
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Scorsese still knows how to set the right atmosphere, this is a great piece of craft and everybody is acting beautifully, so this movie isn’t just about the message. And luckily so, because after just about ten minutes there would be nothing left to watch. Despite this, I still couldn’t get that niggling thought out of my head that this should have been an episode of Tales from the Crypt and not a hundred and forty minute feature movie. If it weren’t for the opening crossing to the island and the closing approx. thirty seconds, I wouldn’t remember anything at all of this.
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Everything that Avatar could not provide me, namely a strong story, well-developed characters, and real tension, Shutter Island was able to deliver in abundance. No director has played so well with me since Fight Club, and I haven't had such a comprehensive film experience in a long time, despite watching a number of good films in the recent past. A smart screenplay, excellent camera work, carefully chosen exteriors, an outstanding cast, and impressive performances. A combination of all the elements of filmmaking. Martin Scorsese is an experienced filmmaker and this is the culmination of his long career. Individual scenes and significant twists in the film, such as the confrontation in the fortress or the final confrontation at the lighthouse, will resonate with me for a long time. Shutter Island is a meticulously crafted drama with numerous elements of classical psycho-horror. An emotional affair with a variety of interesting characters. This film is a strong contender for my biggest cinematic experience this year. I have nothing substantial to criticize about Scorsese's film. Overall impression: 100%. This is what honest classic filmmaking should be.
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Shutter Island is a bit like certain Brian De Palma movies – they might not be for everyone, but if it’s your cup of tea, you will be left speechless. It begins with a ship arriving at a mysterious island, which in terms of camerawork, editing and the use of scary retro music in the style of Miklós Rózsa is an equally valuable manual to creating an absolutely immersive film opening like the landing at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. And it ends not as much by making a point that turns the preceding plot upside down (in the world of film scripts, this idea is not all that original anyway), but with a bonus – the last scene and line of the film that pushes “that thriller with DiCaprio people go see en masse” three levels higher. Everything between the beginning and ending can be criticized for occasional cheesiness or chaotic switching between reality and hallucinations (which raises a few hard-to-answer questions) or the cold attitude to its characters. But all of this is part of the director’s cunning game, which is not about raising the audience’s goosebumps over the Ward C maniacs, nor milking their emotions over the fate of the main character. Because this director plays a different kind of game altogether. ___ After the second viewing, my hands were shaking like after smoking a pack of Dr. Cawley’s cigarettes. Shutter Island is an exceptional film from some other dimension.
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Gallery (99)
Photo © Paramount Pictures
![Shutter Island - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/402/160402011_c0c6cd.jpg)
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