SHUTTER ISLAND - Theatrical review

With "Shutter Island" director Martin Scorsese is back in full force to deliver an atmospheric thriller intertwined with a dark, sinister tale. Scorsese takes Laeta Kalogridis's screenplay of Dennis Lehane's novel and makes a valiant effort bringing the story to life. However, while I enjoyed Scorsese's wonderful camera work and his setting up of a haunting mood, it just never felt like a trademark Martin Scorsese film to me. No, the style here is more along the lines of films like "The Sixth Sense" or "The Others"; meaning, you should expect a big twist at the end. Unfortunately for me, I had the twist figured out way too early and it made the movie feel like one big ending that dragged on into eternity.

The story is set in 1954, as a U.S. Marshall named Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) investigate the disappearance of an insane-asylum patient, Rachel (Emily Mortimer). The strange thing is that the patient vanished from an asylum known as Shutter Island, located several miles off of the coast of Boston. Therefore, how could the patient completely vanish from an island, let alone escape the asylum in the first place? The only way to get to the island is by ferryboat, which we soon find out the asylum has complete control of. Of course, this is part of setting up the tone of why nobody ever gets off Shutter Island.

Teddy and Chuck meet with the two heads of the facility, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow), to begin investigating Rachel's disappearance. So, here we are with a disappearance mystery all set up; but then we begin to realize the narrative is actually driven around the main character, Teddy Daniels. Teddy comes across as a very intelligent yet very defensive detective, full of arrogant conviction. During his investigation, Daniels constantly has flashbacks of fighting in Germany during World War II and vivid dreams of his deceased wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams). As he has these visions, they seem to tear at his sanity and lead him toward a path of darkness. Keep in mind, this is a shift in assumed narrative that happens quite early in the film. What we think of as the investigation of a disappearance quickly turns into a character study with a dark, bottled up background.

The asylum itself is set up to have a personality of its own. For a mental hospital, it is guarded by fully armed security guards who are better suited for a high-security penitentiary. We even get to see Ted Levine (of "Silence of the Lambs" fame) play a small part as the Warden, but at no time does he make any kind of reference to placing the lotion in the basket. Teddy and Chuck even question the need for such high security for a mental hospital, but they find out soon enough that the asylum is full of some of the most viciously insane people known to society. The insane here are not only an extreme danger to other people, they are also a danger to themselves. Of course, rumors of vulgar treatment done to the inmates abound, but Dr. Cawley obviously denies them.

As the story unfolds there are only more layers that get exposed, thus leading you to question every detail: What are the true natures and backgrounds of Doctors Cawley and Naehring? Did the patient Rachel ever exist, or was she fabricated by the two doctors? And what do Teddy's flashbacks of World War II and liberating concentration camps in Germany have to do with anything? What we have is what is expected in any mystery thriller, and that is to leave the audience questioning everything. However, if you're like me, you'll have it figured out within the first thirty-minutes. In fact, once you see that the focus of the narrative veers from the initial setup, its way too obvious where it all ends up.

The Good:
The performances are quite acceptable. While I still have a hard time finding DiCaprio convincing as an actor, he nails his character quite well. As expected, we can also always count on excellent performances from Kingsley and Sydow, and they practically upstage DiCaprio at every possible turn. Of all the actors, I found Kingsley's performance my favorite, as I found him the most convincing.

Overall, the photography and mood of the film stand out quite well. At times you feel like you're watching an old classic thriller from the golden age of cinema, as Scorsese is exceptional at getting those camera shots that have that kind of impact. The tone and atmosphere are geared to deliver a character of their own, and it is the one thing the movie pulls off in flying colors.

The Bad:
The pacing can be quite dull at times, and I even felt the need to nod off. Even the soundtrack seems to be misplaced in scenes where it's unnecessary, and the editing looks a little clunky at times. While I found the performances outstanding, I just didn't feel the connection with the main character, Teddy, nor did I feel the need to care. Plus, if you do figure out the outcome too early, as I did, then the movie feels like one big third act that seems to drag on forever. When we finally get the end, it is quite disturbing, but if you already have it figured out, the impact is no more than a soft punch to the arm.

The Ugly:
We see a few moments of blood and some patients with very bad dental-hygiene issues. At least Scorsese didn't go for the cliché of showing worms crawling around in the asylum cafeteria food. Nevertheless, there are a few gruesome parts and some graphic violence, but at least they are to be expected in a film of this nature. All the same, what ugliness the film has does not dominate it and blends in seamlessly.

Closing:
While I felt the mood of "Shutter Island" was all in the right place and the efforts made with the camera looked outstanding, I never found that trademark style I'm used to with a Martin Scorsese film. Seriously, it felt as if anyone could have directed it, not to mention it's as if the director took the narrative route of an M, Night Shyamalan script. The film certainly looks well crafted, but even so, I found it slow and tedious with little to offer in the end. Well, let's just say, you see the ending coming a mile away, and when you know that, it makes the rest of the movie a dreary ride.