Shutter Island (2010) Horror Movie Review

by Beanfigger
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)

Release: February 19, 2010
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay) and Dennis Lehane (novel)
Starring:

Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels
Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule
Ben Kingsley as Dr. Cawley
Max von Sydow as Dr. Naehring
Michelle Williams as Dolores

I recently saw Shutter Island in my own home for the first time since I saw it opening weekend in the theatre. I have to say that I like it even more now. That is unusual for a movie that is supposed to build up to a twist, but the twist is not what makes the movie great. It's the direction and performances that really shine. I'll try and remember how I felt after seeing it for the first time to give a genuine review of that experience, but I do have to say that it is a movie that I will be watching several times in the future.

I do have a pretty good recollection of my expectations and whether or not this film met those when I first saw it. To start, I can't remember a movie that I've seen previewed so often for such a long time. With the push backs, concern about early reviews, and massive bankroll, the trailers for this film headlined the coming attractions for almost a full year before it was finally released wide. With this much buildup and mixed feedback before I finally even had the opportunity to view it, I was well past excited by the time I bought the ticket. In fact, I think it's fair to say that I was a little bit skeptical and worried about how much I would like it. I had imagined the plot line I saw in the trailers play out in almost every possible scenario, so it would have been difficult for me to be surprised by any kind of twist that I was sure existed in the end. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Knowing the twist before actually seeing the movie does not exactly ruin it for me. I figured out what was going on in The Sixth Sense (1999) very early in that film, and it still made an impression on me because it was a well told story that kept the tension building. Going into the theater for Shutter Island, I was just hoping that it would be the same.

The premise of the movie was a good one. I liked the way little hints about what was really going on were scattered throughout the entire film, and the performance level was excellent. Scorsese proved his brilliance once again in this department. For this type of movie the performance of the actors is crucial, and Marty made that happen. Leonardo DiCaprio was also at the top of his game. The timing of this release probably dimmed the chances of any consideration when the award ceremonies chose their nominations, and that's a shame because I think both of these men deserved to be in the discussion for this film, much like most of their others.

The other very important aspect of this type of movie is building the suspense and tension nonstop throughout. For me, that's always important. I do not enjoy thrillers as much if they fail here, and I was wondering if Scorsese could manage it. This was a step outside his comfort zone, so I wasn't sure if it would live up to the tremendous hype. I think he proved he was capable of making a great suspense movie with this one. I was not bored at any point, even though I was not completely shocked by the ending. I think the main reason this movie worked for me is that there was not a distinct indication of what was real and what wasn't. Who was really on DiCaprio's character's side? What did all the notes mean? Were the dreams of his wife helping or hurting his cause? Not all of these questions were clear by the end, but it still left me feeling satisfied.

This movie was definitely hurt by the year long hype. I also think that the trailers misrepresented it as more of a scare flick with constant jolts and screams. Overall, I have to say I enjoyed this film a lot in spite of all this. Even though the ending was not a huge surprise, it still worked because it's the one I wanted. As I said before, it was even better the second time, and I think this film will be one that I enjoy more after seeing it again and again, too. I recommend this to all movie lovers.