Shutter Island

Shutter Island is the latest film by cinema’s “GoodFella” Martin Scorsese. Set in the middle of the Cold War, federal agents Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to the Ashcliffe Mental Institution on Shutter Island, a remote island beyond the reach of Boston, to investigate in the disappearance of a patient, who murdered her children. Their search conflicts with Teddy’s dreams about his dead wife (Michelle Williams) and the horrors of what he witnessed during World War II. Based on Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel, this complex thriller will keep you in suspense until the final frame.

Scorsese has always taken a chance on different film genres; comedy (The King of Comedy) suspense (Cape Fear) and musical (the forgettable New York, New York). In the case of Shutter Island, it doesn’t rank at the top of Scorsese’s greatest accomplishments; it falls in between Bringing out the Dead and The Aviator. The film complements Lehane’s novel with accurate detail; especially, with Scorsese at the helm and Robert Richardson’s haunting cinematography.

The drawback to adapting Shutter Island is that the performances seem constricted. Leonardo DiCaprio has his moments of tapping the nerves, but mostly repeats his performance from The Departed. Mark Ruffalo gave his best performance as Inspector Dave Toschi in David Fincher’s Zodiac, and one would assume that he would repeat his suave, yet flamboyant, performance in Shutter Island. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Ben Kingsley delivers a solid performance as Dr. John Cawly as his calm presence infuses with a sadistic tone in his voice, but its nothing compared to his wild performance in Sexy Beast. The irony is that it’s the supporting cast, comprised of Max von Sydow, Patricia Clarkson, and Jackie Earle Haley that compensate for the so-so performances by the leading cast.

On the plus side, Shutter Island is a film-geek’s film; the shot of the agents being driven up the slopes of the island mirrors that of the opening shot of Jack Nicholson’s car driving through the mountain pass in The Shining. Also, the mix of dreams and reality within the mental institution strike similar chords to Sam Fuller’s Shock Corridor and David Lynch’s Eraserhead. Shutter Island is an impressive visual thrill ride, yet is not in the same league as Scorsese’s epics like Taxi Driver or GoodFellas.

3 out of 4 stars