Well, Martin Scorsese is at it again. Despite me hearing that he had retired, here he is, making more and more movies. And I can't be more ambivalent to his existence. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing personal against the man. He makes good movies, apparently. However, since I've never actually watched any of them (tried to watch the Departed but I was so sleepy that I never finished it). So, Shutter Island is my first Scorsese movie that I watch all the way through. Is it good? We'll see.
The aptly named Shutter Island is an island off of Boston harbor akin to Alcatraz, mainly because it has a hospital for the criminally insane. Lovely. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Edward "Teddy" Daniels, a U.S. Marshall who, along with his partner Chuck Aule (played by that guy who played Cypher in the Matrix, can't remember his name for the life of me), are tasked with finding an escaped inmate by the name of Rachel Solando, who "evaporated into the walls" as Ben Kingsly put it.
Right off the bat, before you can even say "Conspiracy Theory," you realize that something isn't quite right with this island. First of all, no one seems to want to help these guys as they're trying to find this patient. In fact, quite the opposite is going on, it seems, but I won't spoil anything. The twist at the end (and yes, there is a twist) is such a brilliant one that any little detail would spoil it.
Let start off by saying that the orchestral score is such a powerfully creepy tone that it really helped set the mood. Not even Clint Mansell's Lux Aeterna (or Requiem for a Dream, as you all no doubt know it as and trust me, you have heard it before), could compare in intensity and power that this theme had. Just throwing that out there.
Now, is this movie good? Yes, it's pretty good. Is it a must see? Yes, you should see it. Will you be blown away by it? That depends on whether or not you turn your brain on or off during movies. In other words, if you actively think during movies.
Throughout the entire movie, I couldn't help but see just how predictable this movie is. Not to say it is cliche, but the plot itself is follows a rather predictable path. And here is where I get confused because the twist at the end just comes completely out of left field that I wasn't expecting it at all. This leads me to wonder if it was purposely predictable to leave me off guard. If so, then kudos for Martin for making this movie and indeed, it is a well-done movie.
The twist however, I have to say, I called it. It wasn't a "Oh I fucking called that shit" calling it. It was more of a "Huh, well I guess I called that," moment. This came from watching the trailer and then thinking about how it would end. This led to the "Hey wouldn't it be funny if" line of thought and that is how I called it.
One problem I had was Leo's performance. Now, Leo and I have an understanding: you keep up the good work and I'll forgive you for Titanic. But his performance in this movie...not that great. Sure I was sympathizing for Teddy and his mental breakdowns, but I wasn't sympathizing for the character I was watching on screen. I felt for the character being displayed in the story, but not for the character walking around in front of me. Little more work could've been done.
So, is it good? Yes, it is very good. Is it worth watching? Yes, it's worth watching. Will it blow you away? Depends on you.
I know this is a short review but hey, I've got nothing more to say about it. Watch it and you won't be disappointed. Don't watch and your life won't be changed in the slightest.
Cheers.
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