Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo

Genre: Drama/Suspense

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Audience Suitability: 14A

Release Date: Jan. 28, 2010

Running Time: 137 Minutes

By Robert Waldman

Fear of the past symbolizes some of the danger in Shutter Island, a smart suspense thriller from Paramount Pictures.

Mind games take their toll on a U.S. Marshal out to investigate a mysterious disappearance in Martin Scorsese’s (Gangs of New York) latest effort. All U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels wants to do is carry out his responsibilities to find justice. Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic) plays Daniels, a man who takes his job very seriously but seems to get thwarted at every turn by the powers that run the mental asylum known as Shutter Island. Separated by a waterway, this infamous Boston institution seems to be immune from outside forces. Run like a true fortress this prison-like structure is full of guards and is overseen by Dr. Cawley. Academy Award winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) lends a certain degree of authority to the role of Cawley, a psychiatrist who appears to be running roughshod over the confined population and also looks to be thwarting the efforts of Marshal Daniels.

Sent to help this law enforcement official is Chuck Aule, a new partner for Daniels who also packs heat. Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac) picks up where Daniels leaves off as Aule and is more than happy to go along with his veteran partners tactics when it comes to searching the facilities. Full of guards and medical personnel the pair have no easy time trying to get at the truth to determine what happened to one lost patient.

Scorsese succeeds in creating a very eerie atmosphere and fleshes it out with interesting characters. You don’t know what’s coming at you from one moment to the next. Even more impressive is a surprise later on in the film that truly throws you for a loop. Bottom line is you get a real jolt as the impact of this change in direction of the storyline is stunning and gripping. Also, a very clever use of history figures rather prominently in this tale that explores the horrors of being inside an institution.

Many films have been done in the past about persons held in hospital type institutions. Shutter Island uses this setting as a way to explore the demons inside peoples’ heads and comes out with some startling results. Swedish acting great Max Von Sydow (Never Say Never Again) also lends his considerable authoritarian presence as a doctor involved in trying to cure the patients at this high security facility.

Once again Leonardo DiCaprio is able to take a complex character and make it his own as Daniels undergoes considerable change in this tense, well-paced movie. Shots of residents confined in their cells are particularly chilling as you get that sense of claustrophobia and desperation. Family history also comes into play as we see how personal relationships can have a lasting impact on those who survive.

Smart, well-directed and expertly acted, Shutter Island is a real eye opener of a suspense story with acting greats Ben Kingsley and Leonardo DiCaprio at the top of their game.

Read more reviews by Robert at www.moviereviewssite.com

Written by :

mutuel

 

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