DiCaprio, Scorsese Shine and 'Shutter'

Shutter Island

2010

film review

by Mandy Rodgers

Rated: R

Director: Martin Scorsese

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley

          When a film’s theatrical release is delayed for several months at the last second (and right around Oscar season), a low hum escapes into the film community and among movie buffs that the final product was “lacking” or the studio didn’t believe in the piece. Every once in a while, this general thought is not the case, and with “Shutter Island,” Paramount Pictures’ financial troubles were really the cause for distress.

     With an original October 2009 release date, Paramount head executive Brad Grey blames the late release on financial issues looming over film companies these days. With more time and more momentum, Paramount was able to push a heavy marketing campaign towards the picture, securing a No. 1 box office opening weekend with $41 million, a best for both DiCaprio and Scorsese. But how does it fare critically?

     “Shutter Island” opens immediately into the action and heart of the story it draws upon from Dennis Lahane’s dramatic and terrifying novel, and it never slows down. Well, it never really speeds up either. Scorsese tells a methodical and stunning story in an intriguing, old-fashioned way. It’s set in 1954 and almost feels like it was shot then too. The obvious and devious score, paired with the dark and dreary storm-filled skies instantly give the audience an ominous feeling that Shutter Island—the place and the movie—has quite a tale to tell.

     DiCaprio stars as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. Marshall assigned to a case on the eerie Shutter Island, a converted Civil War fort that is now a hospital and ward for the criminally insane. The only way to access the facility is by ferry, and the ferry is controlled by Shutter Island itself, or head doctor, Dr. Cawley (Kingsley).  Teddy just has met partner Chuck Aule (Ruffalo), fellow U.S. Marshall, for this situation alone, but the two have an instant bond and trust. The two Marshalls are searching for an escaped patient named Rachel who murdered her family years ago and is believed to be roaming the island.

     From first moment to last, the entire movie aligns the audience with Teddy. No scene is without him and no information is given to us without his filter, adding another layer of suspense to the already claustrophobic and twisted thriller. Teddy also has an ulterior motive here at Shutter Island concerning the murder of his wife, Dolores (Williams), and a mystery 67^th patient. Teddy’s consistently horrifying dreams and hallucinations keep his yearning to catch her killer and mend old wounds in the front of our minds.

     Teddy actually has other controversial parts of his past come up in these fantasy (nightmare) sequences, and within a half hour, it’s evident that he is a complex, conflicted and marred hero for us to rely on for the duration of “Shutter Island.” Scorsese takes a film noir approach to our hero, as he’s jaded and flawed yet smart and charming. Hey, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio for crying out loud. He mixes this character into a Hitchcockian thriller, a classic drama (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) and complete the recipe with the always menacing Kingsley and affable Ruffalo. Williams is also heartbreaking as the ghost of what Teddy lost but still can’t let go.

     In some ways, “Shutter Island” relies too much on the fact that it’s supposed to be scary and frightening vs. the fact that it actually is, but Scorsese makes up for the clichés (graveyards, rain) with DiCaprio.

DiCaprio carries the film with his earnest and absorbing portrayal of a man fighting his ghosts and fears while striving to give his current assignment everything he has left. And the climax and twists give DiCaprio a role he can dutifully inhabit with Scorsese’s skilled direction, sure to impact other thrillers for generations to come.

     Having not read the novel and starting the film with little expectation, I found the payoff quite rewarding. “Shutter Island” is flawed but so is our hero and sole alliance on the island itself. The haunting score and stylized horror world Scorsese created engulf the filmgoer in this crazed environment, but also open the audience’s mind for debate on serious topics like mental health and medication long after the credits roll. Message boards continue to argue and dissect the film’s chilling ending, asking for repeat viewings and more answers—the definitive sign of an effective mystery.