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'Shutter Island'
Martin Scorsese doesn't disappoint with latest flick
The Advocate
“Shutter Island” is one of those movies you know is a safe bet. It’s directed by Martin freakin’ Scorsese, so you can guess it’s going to be good. And you would be right.
It’s not “Goodfellas” or “Taxi Drive” or “Cape Fear,” but it’s better than “The Departed.”
Style-wise, it’s rather similar to “Bringing Out The Dead,” but the off-beat conventions and effects that made “Bringing Out The Dead” an oddity of a film, and somewhat confusing to watch the first time, work well in a movie that takes place in an insane asylum.
Most of the plot, at least the parts that are truly informative, are revealed through flashbacks and hallucinations suffered by Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal from Boston who’s sent to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance, seemingly out of thin air, of one the asylum’s patients.
Things go from bad to worse on Shutter Island as Daniels investigates the disappearance of Rachel, a women who is incarcerated at Ashecliffe Hospital For The Criminally Insane for murdering her three children.
Daniels is evermore plagued by more and more explicit and haunting nightmares, flashbacks and headaches as his investigation takes him deeper into the inner workings of Ashecliffe and Shutter Island. Eventually he begins to question his own sanity and descends into paranoia and madness.
“Shutter Island” is a good movie. The only complaint I have with this film is the decision to cast DiCaprio as a 1950s gumshoe. Though his performance is admirable and believable, he can’t overcome the fact that he looks too young to play the part he was given. As a WWII veteran and seasoned detective, DiCaprio just looks too boyish.
The rest of the cast is top-notch. Ben Kingsley shines in the supporting role of Dr. Cawly. Mark Ruffalo as Daniels partner, Chuck Aule, also performs admirably as does the rest of the cast and supporting roles.
By and large, you won’t be disappointed to see this movie. If you liked “Fight Club” and “Silence of the Lambs,” go see “Shutter Island.”
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