Review: Martin Scorsese's SHUTTER ISLAND

[Note: This review was originally posted in December 2009 after a special preview screening. Now that the film has been released, reposting it seems appropriate.] 

Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, which is based on Dennis Lehane's novel, is a nightmarish, puzzle-box thriller. Although the film isn't set to premiere until the Berlin Film Festival in February 2010, an "unfinished" version recently screened at Butt-numb-a-Thon in Austin, Texas. Those anticipating the muscular noir of Cape Fear, which is what the marketing has suggested, should readjust their expectations as Shutter Island is a far creepier and subtler work that uses the collective experience of a generation of Americans to grapple with themes of delusion, loss and guilt.

Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a United States Marshall who, along with a new partner Chuck Aules (Mark Ruffalo), is sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient named Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer) from a federal prison for the mentally ill on Boston's Shutter Island. Daniels, whose wife (Michelle Williams) was killed in an apartment fire, isn't the steadiest of hands; he suffers from a taste for booze, migraines and seasickness. The first sign of trouble wit the investigation is when the Marshals are stripped of their weapons upon arriving at Shutter Island. After spending sometime with Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), Daniels and Aules come to the conclusion that they are being stonewalled about Solando's disappearance. As time passes, the mystery deepens and the pair of duly appointed federal aganets find themselves knee-deep in a complicated conspiracy.

The film's plot is easily spoiled. It is safe to saw that film is built around a puzzle with a solution that is, at least partially, laid out in the open. The cleverness of this strategy is that all the pieces aren't obvious and nothing is completely clear until the final scene. Even then, viewers will need to work backwards through the narrative to really see the logic behind it. The ending will probably be the source of many's people's problems with Shutter Island, but there is nothing wrong with it. The resolution works with this story, and whether people are satisfied with it is simply a matter of taste.

Leonardo DiCaprio is strong as the smart, damaged cop who is forced into a situation that he can't quite get control of. Mark Ruffalo's supporting role requires a bit more restraint than the lead and he provides the necessary balance (or imbalance) to DiCaprio's character. As to style and technique, Shutter Island is executed with the level of craft and skill expected from Martin Scorsese and his long-time associates (e.g., Thelma Schoonmaker is the editor, and Robert Richardson is the DP). The film has a dark, tense atmosphere that is established from the very first shot of Aules and Daniels riding the ferry to the stormy island. The rough weather in the opening scene deteriorates into a hurricane as the film progresses, which helps set the film's dark tone and supports the certain plot elements. The archival soundtrack supervised by Robbie Robertson (yes, that Robbie Robertson) further aids in the creation of a tense atmosphere. The selection, which ranges from modern classical music, including Krzysztof Penderecki and Alfred Schnittke, to synthesized sounds by Brian Eno, recalls the mix-tape approach successfully used by Stanely Kubrick in The Shining.

Shutter Island is far from Scorsese's best work, but it's a strong and gripping film that should easily stand out amongst the crowd in 2010. Shutter Island also has one of the best (and subtle) allusions to a classic movie in recent memory. What else could a viewer want?