"Shutter Island" stands out among Scorsese's rap-sheet not because it's necessarily a better film, but instead because it maintains the quality that you have come to expect from this landmark director while taking steps outside his comfort zone and into the realm of the psychological thriller. Don't let the trailer and advertisements fool you, this is not a horror movie. This film is a phycological thriller with a horror edge. Think, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" meets "The Shining." I wouldn't use two shining obelisks of film history to compare to Shutter Island if the film didn't match up to the standards, so rest assured that this film measures up to the highest caliber.The two tools that Scorsese wields like a surgeon, along with provoking some superb acting from his spectacular cast, to most effectively engulf the audience into the darkest depth of Shutter Island are imagery and atmosphere.
Let's start with the atmosphere. First of all, the film is set on an island outside of Boston Harbor that is basically the East Coast's answer to Alcatraz, except instead of housing a prison with the nation's most dangerous criminals, it houses a mental institution filled with the nation's most dangerous criminally insane "patients." The cells are dark, the hallways are damp, and the screams of the mentally tormented echo through the narrow corridors. The weather serves a purpose too, as a torrential rainstorm inhibits the U.S Marshalls from leaving the island and casts a shadow over the murky grounds and the dense forests. I know this might sound a little cliche, but trust me, it works and it most definitely serves a purpose. Unlike a lot of thriller and horror movies, the setting isn't gloomy for the sake of being gloomy, but rather sets the tone for the true isolation and abandonement that oozes from the inhabitants of the facility.
Sure, the undertones of the ambiguity of the psychiatric practices and procedure has been done before, and done very well, by films such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Girl, Interrupted," but there something about the way Scorsese illustrates the cryptic nature of the field that sets "shutter Island" apart. What I've concluded is that Scorsese tries to blur the line of morality. You're not sure whether to sympathize with the insane or turn a cold shoulder to their criminal nature. It's this added element that makes the atmosphere of this film that much cloudier.
Imagery really comes into play when unfolding the past of Leonardo DiCaprio's character, U.S Marshall Teddy Daniels (he's no Sam Gerard, but hey, who could really compare?) Daniels is a veteran of WWII and a witness to the liberation of Dachau and the images from the war seem permanently imprinted on the back of his eyelids. While human events of this magnitude would shake even the strongest of men, Daniels maintains the arogant demeanor that you would expect from a seasoned United States Marshall; however, the blurred morality of the Shutter Island facility, where him and his partner (Mark Ruffalo) are sent to investigate the dissapearance of one of it's criminally insane tenants, unearths the memories of his service. These memories are where Scorsese's talent really shines through. Shot completely in technicolor, Scorsese seems to make time sand still with dramatic imagery and truly lets the audience place itself behind the eyes of Teddy Daniels during the most significant moments of his life. This imagery serves not only to allow the audience to better understand the background of the main character, but also makes the mysteries of the Shutter island facility that much more enthralling, because you understand the exact emotions that DiCaprio's character is feeling even before he expresses them. This level of character development is something that is rarely seen in modern film and is achieved through Scorsese's brilliant imagery.
Finally, a review of this film would not be complete without complimenting the acting efforts of the films cast, most notably Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. DiCaprio' experience as a rugged Southie in "The Departed" serves him well in this film as well, and he's certainly come a long way since the days of "Titanic" and "The Beach." Scorsese really seems to be able to invoke the best out of DiCaprio, and at some point in the movie, you seem to forget that this is his name. He truly becomes the character, and that is a feat that is not easily accomplished in modern cinema where names seem to outshine the characters and works themselves. Mark Ruffalo plays DiCaprio's partner, rookie U.S Marshall Chuck Aule. He follows DiCaprio's lead for the most part, but becomes more of an independent character as he starts making investigative decisions of his own after learning the ropes. Last, but certainly not least, is Sir Ben Kingsley who portrays lead psychiatrist at the Shutter Island facility, Dr. John Cawley. Kingsley best personifies the ambiguous morality of this film because he essentially serves as a form of a devil's advocate. He see's himself and the Shutter Island facility as the final sanctuary for society's rejects, but he also knows what kind of power that position can weild. While he'd like to think that he is the savior of the untouchable, he knows that in order to maintain such responsibility, he has to produce results. Watching his narritive play out is perhaps the most satisfying of all throughout the film.
"Shutter Island" is not only a brilliantly acted and directed film, it has everything that you want in a thriller with none of the trappings. It's intense without feeling like it has to make you jump once every 5 minutes. It sets a dark and gloomy tone without blacking out the dreary scenery and atmosphere. "Shutter Island" hold secrets without wearing them on its sleeve. Not only that, it actually has satifying answers for those secrets (a little bit of my LOST frustration coming out there, sorry).
9.3 out of 10
