Shutter Island: An insane ride

Ransler Dier - Staff Writer

In general if I have to really ponder a film as to whether I liked it or not, the film is not great, nine times out of ten.  Of course, it would be Scorsese who breaks this mold for me, whose film didn’t really hit me until 15 minutes after I left the theatre. Set in 1954, the film follows two U.S. Marshals as they investigate the disappearance of a patient at Boston’s Ashecliffe Hospital located on Shutter Island.

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio), one of the marshals, has been fighting to get onto the island for some personal reasons but not long after arriving he begins to wonder if he was brought there as a pawn in some twisted game the hospital staff appears to be playing. As a hurricane promptly cuts off the island’s communications with the mainland and more of the criminals get out of their cells, the clues and twists begin piling on top of each other and Teddy begins to question everything – his partner, memory, hospital… even his sanity.

Plot-wise the movie is good. This is not the regular trip this director usually takes us on; there are no f-bomb spouting gangsters, hitmen or even grungy city scenes. The last time Mr. Scorsese took us for a ride in the thriller genre was almost 20 years ago with Cape Fear, and ultimately, I am glad for the break from crime drama. There are enough twists and turns and double-backs to make the viewer actually feel like we are in Teddy’s crumbling mind.  My main issues with the plot though is it was full of clichés and the climax was predictable. But of course, these clichés and predictable portions are perfectly executed by the always-great Scorsese, which allows even the most skeptical viewers to forgive the predictability.

These twists seem new and unexpected as they are introduced in the movie at almost break-neck speed. I found myself straining to keep up in attempt to stay one step ahead of the movie but alas, it is not possible even if you know how it is going to end.  Another thing is that the movie is a little long, finishing at just under two hours and 20 minutes.  But when was the last time this director has released anything less than two hours in length? This is Scorsese attempting Hitchcock, and he pulls it off beautifully. In terms of acting, all parts were played to near perfection. Leo continues to impress, only faltering his Boston accent noticeably a few times throughout the film.

Still, this is some of the best acting I have seen him do, seemingly finally leaving Titanic way behind him. Mark Ruffalo is great as the other Marshal and confirms my belief that he is a pretty underrated actor and Ben Kingsley is wonderfully creepy as the main psychiatrist on the island. The bottom line is this: This movie will take you on a ride and even if the destination is clear, the ride can still be enjoyable. The film made me question even my own sanity at times, a tribute to how good the ride really is. Right up there with Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.