Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a US Marshal looking into the disappearance of an inmate of the controversial mental institute run by Dr. John Cawley played by Ben Kingsley.
The Hard Luck Detective
The movie opens with DiCaprio sick as a dog on the only freighter that comes and goes to Shutter Island. Sporting one of the ugliest ties in cinema, DiCaprio pulls himself together and meets his new partner Chuck Aule. The two head into the institute and begin their search for missing inmate Rachel Solando.
As the two marshals begin their investigation DiCaprio begins having headaches and takes prescription pills from Cawley . What follows suit is a reflection of DiCaprio’s characters guilt over the death of his wife Dolores. DiCaprio is haunted by her throughout the movie but the meaning behind it becomes fogged when DiCaprio can’t trust anyone; not even his own mind.
Some of the more interesting scenes involve flashbacks to when DiCaprio served in the Second World War. It turns out DiCaprio played a hand in killing prisoners of war that leads to more guilt and a vow to never kill again.
DiCaprio Brings His A Game
The two actors that sell this movie is DiCaprio and Kingsley. Both have played characters that really look hard into difficult personalities. DiCaprio’s role is far different than the one played in Blood Diamond but the character development is very much present as it was in that movie.
Kingsley, who starred in other such roles as Ghandi, brings an elegance and sophistication that compliments the anxiety shown in DiCaprio. They are almost two contrasting characters and both come to head at the end of the movie given Kingsley’s character even deeper context when watching the film a second time.
Prepared For Lackluster Scares
Shutter Island has an adult rating but it is not a scary movie. It is however a startling movie at times and can be a bit nerve racking. First and foremost it is a mystery and is littered with clues. Some clues are more apparent than others but all are present to give direction. The few twists the movie dishes out serve to keep the audience guessing. By the beginning of the third act, the audience should have a pretty good idea where Martin Scorsese is going and most of the mystery is solved.
Shutter Island deserves high marks for an entertaining film. It is a fairly simple plot but has a lot of depth to it that only adds to the enjoyment of watching DiCaprio try to piece together the clues. A highly enjoyable movie but with a shelve life of a few viewings. After seeing the movie a second time, it should be left alone until almost forgotten.
Jeff Labine - Jeff Labine is a Canadian journalist. He works as a reporter and photographer for Tbnewswatch.com and a contributing writer for ...
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