People with intense anxiety and no meds may want to stay away from Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (201 0). This thriller tells a captivating story about a US Marshall (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigating the disappearance of a patient on the island. If you can deal with the stress that comes with it, this is a real viewing pleasure.
This movie drew from the source material of the book by Dennis LeHane. The adapted screenplay is spectacular keeping the viewer guessing. Leonardo DiCaprio is spectacular as Teddy Daniels. He gives everything you expect in a DiCaprio performance with worry, angst, understanding, fear and more. Mark Ruffalo (Chuck Aule) is fantastic too. He is the partner helping DiCaprio with the case. An inmate has disappeared on the island, so the US Marshals are here to find out what happened.
The flashback to DiCaprio's past was directed well letting us make some assumptions about him. The directing and writing contributed to what is the best part of the movie which is the pacing. Every moment keeps you on the edge of your seat or under the covers depending on the scene. The music played perfectly with this. You never had time to relax. Most thriller films at least start out somewhat happy but not Shutter Island. The opening shot is eerie to start. Also, one of the most disturbing shots will be the picture below, and that is the tip of what's in this movie.
As far as the major award ceremonies go, Shutter Island received no attention. Several small ones nominated it for various things. Overall, the film is vastly underrated. It is not considered one of the most popular films from director Scorsese, yet people still talk about the movie today. There is some staying value partly because you may need to watch it twice to fully understand and make sure you did not miss anything. To note, this film is number 162 on IMDB's top 250 list.
*Skip the next paragraph to avoid a major spoiler.*
The ending is debated about whether DiCaprio's character had really fallen back into his delusion or wanted the lobotomy to take place. Personally, I believe he hated now fully living with the realization of his actions. The delusions were a way to cope with his crime. By having a lobotomy, he could be relieved of his turmoil and forget it ever happened. The quote "This place makes me wonder," he asks, "which would be worse – to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?" DiCaprio utters this to Mark Ruffalo's character as he voluntarily walks to the surgery location very calmly. In other words, he was sane, but he wanted it to happen.
Overall, this is an underrated movie that adequately navigates a complex plot and executes beautifully. You should get your hands on a copy. It's a perfect October film. My movie rating is A-.
Commentaires