Movie Review: Shutter Island (2010)

Title: Shutter Island (2010)
Genre: Mystery
Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Photography: Robert Richardson
Edited by: Thelma Schoonmaker
Screen play: Laera Kalogridid



Verdict: OK thriller. Very good plot line with good suspense and twists. You will enjoy it if you like mind-bending psycho movies. But the narration looses grip during certain parts of the movie. It could have been an even more gripping movie. I watched it dutifully because it was directed by Martin Scorsese considered one the greatest directors .

Score: 6 out of 10

Yet another Scorsese and Leonardo combo following earlier movies such as The Departed, The Aviator and The Gangs of New York. The story starts with a scene in which the protagonist Teddy played by Leo is sailing on boat. He is a US Federal Marshal heading to Shutter Island to investigate the escape of a deadly psychotic criminal. With him, is his partner Chuck played by Mark Ruffalo. The island houses a mental institution headed by Dr. John Cawley played by Ben Kingsley who says he is following new procedures in psychiatry to cure psychopaths. He belongs to the school of thought which believes in curing dangerous psychotic offenders with understanding and compassion. It is 1952 and there are many situations which have shadows of the second World War on them.

As the US Marshals pull into the island they are met by the deputy warden who gives them a set of rules they need to follow, the first one of which is that they should hand in their weapons. To add to the suspense the Dr. Cawley is very uncooperative a d appears very reluctant to share information with the US Marshals. All he can say is that a female inmate who killed 3 of her own children has disappeared from her cell in mysterious circumstances. As they find out more about what is going on in the island things become more mysterious. It hard to say anything beyond this without giving away the critical parts of the movie.

The highlight of the movie is the island itself. The movie succeeds in creating a sinister aura about the mental institution. The savage storms coming from the ocean makes the island more menacing. But the movie is a bit disappointing. In spite of the very interesting plot the movie meanders away in the narration and fails to generate the thrill we have seen in other movies with similar theme. DiCaprio and Ruffalo are quite convincing in their roles. DiCaprio has succeeded in transitioning from boyish looking roles into role which require a mature persona.
Scorsese is a great director and as is common in his movie, the plot is driven by the characters. The movie has done a good job of bringing out complex relationships and characters. But I felt the movie pulled on for a bit longer than required during many scenes in the island. That was a minor disappointment.

Score: 6 out of 10