Shutter Island review

The Gist:

"Shutter Island" is based on Dennis Lehane's novel of the same name. The narrative follows Federal Marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who travel to the titular islet to investigate the mysterious escape of a patient from a Ashecliffe, a hospital for the criminally insane.

As the investigation unfolds, Teddy's traumatic past is slowly revealed, and it becomes apparent that the staff of Ashecliffe Hospital know much more than they're telling. It doesn't help that the two head physicians are played by Ben Kingsley and Max Von Sydow, who rank (among some of my ex-girlfriends) as some of the most potentially sinister people in all the world.

What's good:

Scorcese, but that's no surprise. He's been in the game so long that he can out-direct most of his competitors with his eyes closed. It's fun to see him apply his A-list talent to some satisfyingly B-movie material.

Every technical aspect of the film speaks to Scorcese's mastery of the medium. He knows exactly where to place the pieces and how get them moving in the right directions.

Also worthy of mention is our Li'l Leo. True, his facial hair looks like an arts and crafts project gone awry (too much glue, too little glitter), and he often appears to be playing dress-up out of dad's closet. However, DiCaprio is reaching the point in his career at which even the most vicious of naysayers can no longer legitimately deny his talent. The character he creates is sympathetic, complex, and unfailingly watchable. Incidentally, his German isn't bad.

Along with great lead performances, each and every ancillary character is nearly perfect. Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson turn in some especially great work.

What's bad:

"Shutter Island" works very hard to misdirect the audience. In doing so, it sometimes gets ahead of itself. While some contrivances are made more understandable by some developments late in the film, there are some bothersome superfluities. Cinematic sleight-of-hand is essential in creating mystery, but so many moving parts sometimes make "Shutter Island" feel a little sloppy.

What's ugly:

A whole lot. The island is full of scary, bloody people. The winner has to be Jackie Earle Haley, who defends his title as the creepiest little dude in the movie business. Bruised and disfigured, he makes his single scene one of the film's most memorable and disturbing. As the conclusion comes into focus, the brilliant details of the scene become even more profound.

The Bottom Line:

"Shutter Island" has so many outstanding elements, but never quite reaches the excellence promised by the talent involved. In the end, it's like watching a group of Formula 1 superstars cruising around in Pow-Pow-Power-Wheels sports cars. These folks are experts and the pedal is on the floor, but the vehicle just can't bring them up to speed.

It's not Scorcese's best work, but as thrillers go, it's solidly above-average. Well constructed and featuring uniformly excellent performances, "Shutter Island" is popcorn film making at its best.