Review of Shutter Island (2010) by Greg M — 27 Jul 2013

This creepy Martin Scorsese movie was a lot better than I was expecting given that it stars Leonardo DiCaprio. It concerns an investigation into a missing patient from a high security mental institute which treats criminally insane prisoners, trying to make them acknowledge their crimes.

DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo portray two U.S. Federal Marshals sent to find out what is going on and locate the missing person. While conducting their investigation, DiCaprio is troubled by flashbacks and disturbing visions which gradually lead him to some deeply unsettling realisations about his own identity past actions.

It is a highly atmospheric movie as the protagonists are trapped on the bleak, storm-riven island with its foreboding cliffs and rundown buildings. It has the feel of an updated Hitchcock shocker in a kind of Hammer horror setting.

All of the medical staff and guards of the institution seem to be telling half-truths or keeping dark secrets, chief among whom are Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow as the two doctors who run the hospital along some rather unorthodox lines.

I'm not a huge fan of DiCaprio but here he plays his role well and really manages to hold the attention as his character tries to unpick the false trails and red herrings that stand in his way. I loved the style and moodiness of Scorsese's direction with plenty of classic scares and shocks along the way.

This is a claustrophobic and well paced thriller which, despite having a few cliches and not being totally original, does what it does very well indeed.