Martin Scorsese’s new film, Shutter Island, is one of those movies that plays with the audience in ways that make some people feel cheated, while others will be taken over by the sheer ability and craft of the filmmaker. Scorsese definitely pulls all the deceptive tricks he can out of his cinematic toolbox, but it is up to the viewer to decide whether or not he has constructed something meaningful.
This particular trope has been utilized before. One can think of films like The Sixth Sense and Angel Heart as kindred spirits to this film. Scorsese is also paying homage to the detective mysteries of the past here, and Shutter Island echoes the film noir of the '40s and '50s with its dark visuals and tone. Add to that the heft of the music arranged by Robbie Robertson that shatters scenes like a symphonic sledgehammer, and you have a movie designed to make you feel on edge most of the time.
It is 1954 and Leonard DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo play U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, who have come to Shutter Island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the disappearance of violent criminal Rachel Solando. From the very first scene, Scorsese makes us queasy as Daniels experiences seasickness in the ferry bathroom. He looks disgustedly through the porthole at all the water, and we know we’re in for a bumpy ride.
The island facility for the criminally insane is an armed fortress, and guards at the gate inform Daniels and Aule that they must check their firearms. Daniels starts what will become a litany throughout the movie, reminding them “I am a U.S. Marshal,” a sort of “do you know who I am?” routine that seems to continually backfire on an island where the rules don’t necessarily have anything to do with the law back on the mainland.
Here they encounter Dr. Cawley (played with gusto by Ben Kingsley), the administrator who runs the place. He seems generally helpful in the beginning, but as Daniels and Aule try to dig deeper, Cawley blocks their attempts with red tape ranging from the board of directors to the protestations of a senior colleague, the decidedly creepy Dr. Jeremiah Neahring (Max von Sydow).
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Article comments
1 - Victor Lana
Thanks for taking a look, Alex.
2 - Jim Vivanco
I have not seen the movie and, according to the trailer, it did like a bit dark. I am glad to hear that DiCaprio did a fine job. I actually didn't like him in titanic but in other roles I think he is very good.
3 - Victor Lana
Well, Jim, he's come a long way from Titanic. I think he's become one of the best actors in film these days. He always delivers a quality performance.
4 - Ted
In the beginning you say that it's similar to the 6th sense. i think that's the reason you were dissatisfied. you thought the ending was meant to be a big surprise, an irony of situation. i think it works much better if you already have a good idea about what's going on, only you don't know the details. in other words, ithink the viewer is supposed to have an idea of the general ending in mind early on, the fun is in learning why, and how.
i agree about dicaprio.