Shutter Island

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 bananas


by Ryan

This movie is a classic film noir, filled with mystery and suspense. Martin Scorsese has once again given the world an intelligent and memorable film. Shutter Island is based off the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, who also wrote Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone. The story follows U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) who have been brought to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearence of a murderer. As time goes on, everything is not as it seems. The story is filled with lies, deceite and despair and many twists and turns. We are constantly left to wonder is this reality or is this a dream?

DiCaprio really does a great job in this film. Taking on a tough role, he executes it with great vigor and accuracy. The entire cast played their roles well, adding to the suspense and drama. You really never know who is genuine or who is playing mind games. The pictures Scorsese displays on the screen are beautiful, rich in color, yet unbelievably bleak. His shot sequencing and usage payed homage to the great noir directors like Alfred Hitchcock. One aspect that I really liked about this film was the score. The brooding and ominous chords and undertones set the table well for what the viewer is watching. The music enhanced the picture, it wasn't just something extra.

The one issue I take with this film is that the ending takes too long to develop. While it is a very intelligent and well thought out ending, it loses most of its impact in explanation. There had been so much build up and so much to sort out that the only way to do the story justice is to unravel it all.

This is yet another great film from one of the best directors to ever get behind the camera. There is no reason not to go see this film. Based on the marketing, some of you may think this film is scary, or a horror film, its not. Its a suspense and drama, go see it.

Review by Travis -

3.6 / 4 banana peels

While Shutter Island must labor to justify it's big twist at the end, it makes up for it in being one of the most engaging movies I've seen in a long while.

When I told Ryan and Matt that this movie made me uncomfortable as I was watching it, they didn't know what I was talking about. But it did. It's like walking around in a dark house with a metal screeching noise that's always right behind you, no matter how much you try to turn around and confront it. Like Ryan mentioned though, it's not some horror movie that tries to be scary. It's just a movie that gets into your head and stays there throughout. Some people would call it a mindf***...and that's a pretty accurate word I would use to describe it.

I think that was what Scorsese intended...to make the audience as uncomfortable as possible in order to reflect the feelings of the story's main character, played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

There's no doubt that Scorsese can direct a film well. He can change the audiences emotions with a single change of the frame. The pacing here is superb. Violence is nothing new with Scorsese movies and this movie certainly has some disturbing graphic scenes, ones that are there to keep the attention of the audience. They are amazing, not because I enjoy violence, but because in the context of what's going on... violence is perfectly natural for the characters to partake in and/or recall from their past. Reminds me of Lord of the Flies.

Some of the most captivating moments occur during DiCaprio's "dream" sequences. These sequences are pure cinema magic (these are the moments that made me uncomfortable as I watched them) and some people might not even identify them as sequences that Scorsese has directed...though it was pretty obvious sometimes with the absolutely perfectly lighted sets, which was fine with me.

Dicaprio lets out what I consider an awesome performance for a character so inherently complicated from the get-go. Ben Kingsley plays tricks with your head with his character's sinister yet caring demeanor. Jackie Earle Haley was awesome in his only scene. I love that guy and for the brief time he is there, he gives a hell of a performance.


You want to see this movie. For those of you who don't want to sit through a movie that makes you seriously guess at the ending twist, don't bother.


I'll have to be honest...I consider this movie a modern classic. I enjoyed the change of theme for Scorsese, which makes me like this better than The Departed. It's in my top 5 Scorsese films, for sure...but it's tough to narrow that list down any more.

If you have already seen this, or will be seeing it soon, drop us a comment and let us know what you think! We always want to hear what you have to say!


Review by: Kosha' Kid Kerwin


2.5/4

Scorcese's latest film Shutter Island is a mind engaging film of Hitchcockian like proportions. We are thrown into the film as Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule make their way toward a mysterious and remote  prison off the coast of Boston known as Ashcliff to investigate the disappearance of one of the prisoners. Leonardo DiCaprio does a respectable job as a flawed hero, US Marshal Teddy Daniels. Teddy suffers from sudden migraines and headaches and a vivid imagination. He  goes back and forth between dreamscape and reality that we the audience almost do the same. The movie itself was very well acted and directed and the pacing is great for the first 3/4th's of the movie. My only complaint would be the drawn out conclusion and anticlimactic twist. The film would have been captivating to me if it was more open ended and concise. I use the word concise loosely because I felt there were some redundant scenes that took away from the climax. This movie perhaps deserves a second viewing, I am sure I missed many nuances throughout this complex and deeply layered film.

I implore you to make your own judgments and opinions, go see this film and tell me what you think!