Shutter Island

Where do I begin with this film? Well first off, I saw this the weekend after opening weekend, which is super rare because usually wait for films to go to DVD or the dollar show. However, I have been following this film for quite some time now. Leo and Martin’s second film together – I was excited to say the least. I didn’t love THE DEPARTED like everyone else did. Granted, I thought it was an excellent film, but I wasn’t sucked into its world like many of the people who just adored it so. I suppose I can cover the plot fairly quick right here – an FBI agent (Leonardo Decaprio) and his partner (Mark Ruffalo) go to a mental institution to investigate the mysterious disappearance/breakout of one of their patients. While he’s there strange things start to happen and he suspects the warden of the institution and the other patients/guards are covering something up. There’s a huge storm so he cannot leave the island and then he starts to uncover the oddities he initially expected. I won’t go into any more detail, but there is a big twist ending that was pretty good I thought. I had noticed a few hints really early on (Leo not having his own cigarettes on the ferry ride in, etc).

Going in you know that you’re in for a fantastic treat. You have excellent actors, superb direction, and a fascinating locale and story to be bedazzled by. And you’re not disappointed either. Scorsese meticulously constructs this new world for us and it feels extremely real. The actually island they shot this film on is off the coast of Boston and it’s one of the film’s best features. If they would’ve green-screened all of the external island shots it would have taken away from the film immensely. Luckily Scorsese is a true old school director and knows what it takes to weave a story.

Everyone asked me how I liked the film after I saw it, and I knew going in that many of my friends loved it, so responding to their question was interesting. I told them that I thought it was really good, but I didn’t love it, which I thought was a legit answer. And comparing it to other Scorsese films that I love, it probably wouldn’t be in the top 5 either.

The best things about the film I named already, however, I wasn’t as captivated by the story as I wanted to be. It felt semi cartoonish from time to time. Not in terms of legitimacy or realism, but in terms of pre-planned situations and straight story timelines. I felt like it was all a little too neat and tidy, I don’t know if that made sense, but it is an excellent film. Watch it with the lights off and with a big bowl of popcorn. Probably Scorsese’s most pronounced popcorn flick to date.

Rating: 8.5/10