Review of Shutter Island (2010) by Ben L — 13 Sep 2017

In my opinion, there are two types of movies with surprise twists in their plot:

1) Those that rely on surprising you to be entertaining, but don't hold up all that well to repeat viewings.

2) Those that have a twist as an added plot element that warrant a rewatch to see what you missed the first time.

Sadly, before watching Shutter Island, I already knew about the plot twist, so I was worried it might fall in the first category of films. Fortunately, it did not, instead it was solid despite my foreknowledge. It made for an exciting viewing experience, because I felt like I was in on the "joke" so I could watch all the blatant clues. It made me wonder when I would have figured it out if I didn't know.

The story is structured like a strong noir detective film, but has some insane elements thrown in that make it a little darker. I was thrown off by some of the dream sequences, only because they seem so extreme and sometimes have elements that make no sense to me (even knowing the twist.) It might have worked better if things were a little more grounded, so the dreams didn't need to be there.

I loved the cast in Shutter Island, particularly DiCaprio and Ruffalo. They have a great report with one another that makes the story work better. However the real highlight of the film is that mysterious story. I just adore the feeling that I was piecing together the elements of the story little by little. And the final scene was jaw-droppingly brilliant. I would have loved to see the film unspoiled but even watching it as I did was a treat.