Shutter Island

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Ted Levine, Elias Koteas
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A federal marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels with his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to Shutter Island, a prison for the criminally insane. While they are there to investigate the mysterious escape of a prisoner, they soon discover something more sinister may be occurring on the isolated island.

Review:

Tim: Martin Scorsese changes up the pace a bit with this glooy, atmospheric thriller about insanity, murder, and mystery. While this doesn't exactly feel like the typical Scorsese film, I enjoyed him doing something a bit different. While I don't think this movie ranks near his greatest films, it is still a solid, well acted thriller. This is a very good movie.

As always, Scorsese assembles a strong cast here. Scorsese is greatly responsible for changing my opinion of Leonardo DiCaprio. Years ago, I couldn't stand him. However, as DiCaprio has progressed, especially in Scorsese films like Gangs of New York, The Aviator, and The Departed, I have had to admit that DiCaprio is not only a great actor, but one of the greatest we have working today. He is excellent again here. I am so impressed with his ability to give exactly the right performance depending upon what is needed of him. Here, we needed a darker, mysterious, complex performance, which is exactly what DiCaprio delivers.

The supporting cast is very good as well. I loved Mark Ruffalo in this movie. His performance was the perfect compliment to DiCaprio. I really enjoyed these two together on screen, and I hope that one day I will see them in another movie together. Ruffalo worked very hard while remaining in DiCaprio's shadow. I don't think we should overlook Ruffalo's contribution to this film. Ben Kingsley is good as well. He really has terrific acting skills, and it is nice to see him using them in a worthwhile endeavor, instead of slumming it as he has been frequently in recent years.

I thought Michelle Williams was fine, but she didn't really add anything to this film. Max Von Sydow's presence was very welcome, and helped create that sinister, suspenseful feeling of the film. I always enjoy Emily Mortimer, but she added very little. The same can be said for Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley. I could also say the same for Elias Koteas, but even with almost no screen time, any movie with Koteas is automatically better in my opinion. We'll just say that the cast is impressive, although there is not enough screen time to adequately go around.

While Scorsese gives us a very good thriller, I can't help but wish it was a little bit better. This film was so heavily promoted for so long that I lost a great deal of excitement I had going into it. That didn't ruin or drastically change my opinion, but I had very little excitement before I saw it. I also thought that the story, while interesting and very well told, wasn't particularly unique or new. We have seen this all before. Scorsese films usually have a bit of that unique quality- where even if the film is somewhat redundant, it feels crip and fresh and new. That wasn't the case here. That hurt the movie some.

While flawed, and honestly a bit too long, this is still a very solid thriller. I was interested in the characters and the story, and I was engaged on a slightly deeper level than most films. I wouldn't say this was a milestone for anyone involved, but a good film is a good film, so in that light, Shutter Island is a success.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gangs of New York, 1408, Blood Diamond, The Departed, Reservation Road, The Lovely Bones