‘Shutter Island’
4 out of 5 stars
As I mentioned last week, the winter is usually a time for movie studios to dump their lesser films that are probably not academy award worthy. Knowing this, it worried me that Martin Scorsese’s new film ‘Shutter Island’ would be premiering in February. It had already been pushed back twice, which is never a good sign.
‘Shutter Island’ is not one of Scorsese’s masterpieces by any means, but it is a fun, exciting thriller with some interesting elements that are hard to discuss to not reveal the plot. It is based on the novel by Denis Lehane, who also wrote the Oscar-sweeping ‘Mystic River’ –which ranks for me as the most overrated film in recent memory. So, do Lehane, Scorsese and Leo make a great team?
The year is 1954. Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule –Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, respectively—are two federal marshals who arrive on a mysterious island off the coast of Massachusetts. The island houses—you guessed it—a hospital for the criminally insane. A dangerous prisoner/patient named Rachel has escaped and it is up to Teddy and Chuck to find her.
Meanwhile, Teddy is haunted by dreams of his dead wife—played by Michelle Williams—who perished in a house fire. He also dreams of his time spent liberating Germany during World War II and the horrors of a concentration camp.
The head psychiatrist or the institute Dr. Cawley—portrayed ambiguously by Sir Ben Kingsley—sees the island as a humane hospital and he abhors many popular ‘treatments’ of his time — like lobotomies. Teddy and Chuck begin to suspect more malignant treatments are going on and become increasingly deeper in danger.
To give away more about the plot would be a disservice to the reader. It really is hard to discuss ‘Shutter Island’ because of the twists and turns that the movie makes. What makes this film great is the buildup to the ending. Scorsese creates a highly stylized, but creepy atmosphere of confusion and ambiguity.
At the beginning of the film I was convinced that I had the ending figured out –I did have it right—but as it went along, at every turn I was doubting my constructed reality about the film and it took me along for the ride. Overall, the movie works because after the film’s secrets are revealed, there is more than enough emotional involvement with the characters that keep the film from being just another twisty thriller.
The direction is where the film takes off. The scenes of Teddy and Chuck entering the island are overwhelmed with visual style and doomy music—very cool stuff. The dream sequences with Teddy and an ashy Michelle Williams are brilliant and are some of the best aspects of the movie.
Scorsese’s longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker also shines here. The dream sequence where Teddy faces a scarred Elias Koteas is a master class in editing.
On the story side, the film is an exploration of guilt and the lengths that people go to displace their guilt and to pass blame on others and society. It also can be read to be an exploration of the underbelly of America, especially during the stifling and stale 1950s. That the film can be read multiple ways and please multiple audiences is a testament to its power.
Martin Scorsese is one the most respected and revered filmmakers working today—a status that has been duly earned. After years of making penetrating and gripping films, he has earned the right to stretch out and make a pulpy thriller set at an insane asylum.
In 2006, he finally won the best director Oscar after years of being snubbed. Unfortunately, he won for ‘the Departed’ which is one of his lesser works—let’s face it, ‘the Departed’ was no ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ or ‘Goodfellas’. So for him to follow up his academy award win with ‘Shutter Island’ is a blast to watch because he gets to indulge in more horror/thriller territory that he hasn’t dealt with since his remake of ‘Cape Fear’.
Leonardo DiCaprio has evolved from a promising young talent to teen heartthrob to serious, mature actor with this film. His performance is what grounds the movie and it kept me emotionally invested until the credits.
The supporting cast is also top-notch. Sir Ben Kingsley is great as the seemingly humane Dr. Cawley. Though they are in brief roles, Max Von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Ted Levine, Jackie Earl Hayley, and Patricia Clarkson all are excellent and add greatly to the weight of the story.
In the end, the real test of a genre movie’s worth is its re-watchability. Even after the secrets of ‘Shutter Island’ are revealed, is it worth another viewing? I rarely return to the theatre to see a film—it’s too darn expensive the first time. Yet, this Friday, instead of going to see ‘Alice in Wonderland’, I plan to hop aboard the Boston Harbor ferry, bound for ‘Shutter Island’ again.
