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The last time Martin Scorsese directed Leonardo DiCaprio in a Boston-based thriller (2006’s The Departed), he walked away with his very first (long overdue) Oscar. And, last summer, Hollywood was already buzzing about Marty’s follow-up feature, Shutter Island, which was scheduled for a fall release—to put it in the running for the year’s awards. But then Paramount was forced to bump the release date due to financial issues, and one of Hollywood’s most beloved directors found his latest film dumped out among the cheesy action and bad comedies of February. But for those of us who have been slogging our way through a pretty grim couple of months of movies, award season’s loss is our gain.
For Shutter Island, Scorsese once again teams up with DiCaprio, who stars as U.S. Marshal Ted Daniels. Along with his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), Daniels is sent to investigate the 1954 disappearance of a patient at Ashecliffe, an institution for the criminally insane, located on Boston’s forlorn Shutter Island.
From its opening scene, Shutter Island will give classic thriller fans a shiver of anticipation—because, with its eerie cinematography and its larger-than-life score, this haunting psychological thriller feels just like classic Hitchcock. Even the film’s few visual effects, which look intentionally old-fashioned, are throwbacks to films like North by Northwest and Psycho. The atmosphere, too, is heavy and menacing. And the deeper you get into the story, the darker and more disorienting it becomes.
At first, the case seems strange but straightforward—just a missing patient who seems to have vanished without a trace. But the head doctor, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), seems to be hiding something—and Daniels soon reveals that there’s more to the case than just a missing woman.
Daniels has been investigating the institution on his own, and he suspects that there’s something more sinister happening on Shutter Island. But as he continues to investigate, he’s plagued with headaches and flashbacks from his troubled past.
Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island is a mesmerizing psychological mystery, with twists and turns that are sure to keep you wondering what’s real and what’s all in Daniels’s head. Is he just paranoid, or is the staff really hiding something from him? It’s enjoyably bewildering—and the harder you try to figure it all out, the more you’ll begin to feel as though you, too, could very well be losing your mind.
Granted, Shutter Island isn’t Scorsese’s best film. The story isn’t always entirely surprising (thanks, in a large part, to the film’s spoiler-heavy marketing campaign), and it’s lacking some of the depth and complexity that would have made it a brilliant psychological thriller. Ted’s flashbacks, too, often feel like a frustrating distraction. Still, it’s a gripping film that takes audiences on a fascinating (and unsettling) journey. And Scorsese wraps it all up in a dark and disturbing yet hauntingly satisfying way—one that will give you something to think about as the credits roll.
If you love those haunting classic thrillers, you’ll enjoy puzzling your way through Scorsese’s eerie tribute. Be warned, though, that once you make it to the end, you’ll want to see it again—so you can watch all of the pieces come together.
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