Shutter Island, the fourth film to team Leonardo DiCaprio with legendary director Martin Scorsese, hit theaters today. This is the first of my "10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2010" to be released so, obviously, I headed out to the theater to see it. And, I must say, it earned its spot on that list. I will warn you, though, that this film may not be for everybody. It's a psychological thriller, so it will definitely twist your mind while watching.

Shutter Island follows two federal marshals as they head to a mental institution for the criminally insane on a secluded island to investigate the escape of a potentially dangerous patient. Upon arriving on the island, they're met with little cooperation by doctors, guards and other personnel, leading them to speculate that the goings-on behind the walls of the institution may be more sinister than they appear.

This movie had so many twists that it makes it difficult to write a review without giving much away. If you don't pay attention, you will most likely miss something. And, trust me, there were definitely some twists. Sure, lots of movies involve plot twists, but this one kept me trying to figure what was real and what wasn't all the way through. Scorsese did an excellent job keeping the viewer guessing and, I'll be honest, I did not see the ending coming at all.

As for the acting, the entire cast was brilliant. DiCaprio completely delivered in role of Teddy Daniels, a federal marshal who is still trying to come to terms with the death of his wife. Sir Ben Kingsley was convincing as the mysterious head psychiatrist of the hospital. Mark Ruffalo gave the best performance of his career as Teddy's partner, Chuck. And my favorite performance in the film was from Michelle Williams, who played Teddy's deceased wife during flashback/dream sequences. The rest of the supporting cast, including Jackie Earle Haley, Max von Sydow and Emily Mortimer, were equally as impressive in their limited roles as well.

The only real gripe I have with the movie is what appeared to be continuity errors. Throughout the film, there were numerous scenes that seemed to have been sloppily edited in post-production. In actuality, these "cuts" were deliberate and were intended to add to the uneasy feeling of the film. While I do agree that this technique can be effective in that manner, it was way overused in this film and oftentimes seemed unnecessary. In fact, I didn't figure out that it was intentional until about the third or forth time. It should've been more subtle but, instead, it just became a distraction. Of course, who am I to question Martin Scorsese's directing techniques?

Other than that, Shutter Island was a very good film. It kept me interested from beginning to end and provided a very unexpected ending. As far as psychological thrillers go, it was one of the best I've seen in a while. If you're a fan of such films, definitely go see this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

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Last modified on Friday, 26 February 2010 11:00