Martin Scorsese is known as the great American filmmaker of the past 40 years, and after making the tremendous film "The Departed" (my best movie of the decade) in 2006, it's no wonder that many of his fans are excited about his new film entitled "Shutter Island", based on the highly acclaimed novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone). This is also his fourth project with actor Leonardo DiCaprio after making the intense "Gangs of New York", the meticulous biopic "The Aviator", and of course "The Departed". Can you really go wrong with these two? No, not really. In fact, after going 3 for 3 in successful films together, it is very easy to say that their fourth movie together is a perfect swish. Martin Scorsese wanted to try his hand at a gothic horror and psychological thriller type film, and it feels good to say that it was an amazing success. This movie grips you, from start to end. The cast is ultimately flawless. The script is moving. The score is surprisingly one of the biggest strengths of the film. And of course, the film is equipped with expert direction from the legend, Martin Scorsese.
U.S. Marshalls Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are assigned to an investigation in Shutter Island, a mental hospital for the criminally insane. Their job is to figure out how a woman by the name of Rachel Solondo seemingly disappeared despite the most security that one could possibly recieve. With the help of Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), they try to figure out clues to her disappearance. There seems to be problems, though, especially since Daniels has post-traumatic stress after being in the war. The film goes to several flashbacks of Nazi deathcamps to show what occurred. Teddy's wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams), died beforehand, and throughout his stay at Shutter Island, he is faced with constant images of her. Now I'm going to stop there. Going any further into the story can be a possible spoiler. The twist to this film is crazy.
Leonardo DiCaprio, in my opinion, gives his best performance of his career. What the character of Teddy Daniels demands out of DiCaprio forces him to put himself into a former soldier's shoes, that is, a soldier who has seen haunting things that he can't forget. It's his most emotional and complex acting job that he has ever done by far. Definitely Oscar-worthy. Mark Ruffalo, who you may know from countless chick-flicks, is perfect here. He has a simple screen prescence of someone who doesn't demand attention but automatically receives it. Sir Ben Kingsley shows once again that enraged calm that he has mastered throughout the years. With three mentioned, there's no forgetting the others who just did so well. Michelle Williams and Max von Skydow in particular. They are all so good. This is probably due to director Martin Scorsese. How can you possibly not bring your A-game in front of this guy?
"Shutter Island" is a great film that is destined to be a classic. No, I don't think this is Scorsese's best movie, but it's definitely one of his countless masterpieces. I was genuinly gripped by the film's captivating story and never came close to losing interest for the movie's 2 hours and 18 minutes. Each shot is filled with striking images of color and symbolism, making this perhaps Scorsese's most beautifully made film to date. Simply put, he has done it again. This is the type of movie that you will talk about for days after you see it. It's nearly flawless.
Rating: 4 out of 4
